Just when we think our lives have settled down with certain predictability, something ‘out of left field’—out of nowhere— shows up. Our first reaction is to think, or to say, “God, why?” And it is precisely at these moments that we gain respect for God’s sovereignty—He does what He does. And what He does is not only good (by virtue of His goodness), but necessary for our sanctification (Heb. 10:36; 12:10-11).
Toward the end of Abraham’s long journey where he must have thought he ‘knew’ God, God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (Gen. 22) Don’t you think Abraham had at least a moment of doubting whether this word, which seemed to come out of left field, was really God? But as much as he loved Isaac, He trusted God. And though it made no sense that God would kill the ‘son of promise,’ Abraham passed the test: trusting himself to God's sovereignty (not trying to figure Him out!).
Jesus’ disciples learned through many experiences (Jesus stops a storm that almost sinks their boat; Jesus invites 5,000 people to dinner; Jesus has a 'forbidden' conversation with a lone Samaritan woman) that He was unpredictable. So why are we surprised when something we never-could-have-expected happens to us? At moments like these, either we can waste time trying to figure God out, or we can submit to His sovereignty and accept His unpredictability.
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