YES!!!ნიმუში

Day 3: The Journey of Surprises:

God is a God of surprises.

Not random, chaotic surprises—but holy, intentional ones. The kind that make you pause and whisper, “Only God.” The kind that reshape the way you see the world—and Him.

Throughout Scripture and in our everyday lives, God shows up in the least expected ways, through the least expected people, at the least expected times. Just when you think the story is over, He turns the page. Just when you assume He’s silent, He speaks through something or someone you’d never have chosen. This is the journey of faith—it’s a journey of surprises.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory. . . ."
—Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

We love this verse. But what we sometimes miss is that the exceedingly, abundantly more doesn’t always feel that way at first. It often begins with confusion, with detours, with needs that we can’t meet and prayers we don’t know how to pray. It starts with a “No” that feels unfair or a delay that feels endless. But underneath it all, God is still working.

When the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, they longed for rescue. False prophets offered easy hope, claiming freedom was just around the corner. But through the prophet Jeremiah, God delivered a different message: this exile would last seventy years. No quick rescue. No shortcut to comfort. Instead, God called His people to settle in—to build homes, grow gardens, marry off children—and to seek the peace of the very place where they felt trapped.

"Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace."
—Jeremiah 29:7 (NKJV)

That’s the surprising logic of God’s Kingdom. We’re not called to just survive where we are—we’re called to bless where we are. To live well. To trust deeply. To plant roots in foreign soil. Even when it makes no sense.

And when God surprises us, it’s not always in the form of comfort. Sometimes, it’s a brown chair in a storage unit when you were just praying for a miracle. Sometimes, it’s a prodigal brother making a phone call after forty years. Sometimes, it’s a man named Marlon who shows up at just the right time to become the answer to a prayer you were too tired to keep praying.

And still, even with all of this wonder, God reminds us gently but firmly: “My ways are not your ways.”

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
—Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

That’s not a rebuke. It’s an invitation—to release our assumptions. To surrender our timetables. To trust that what looks like a delay might be divine choreography.

When you feel like you're not where you hoped you'd be by now, God is not behind. He’s ahead—preparing something that’s “exceedingly abundantly” more than your current perspective can grasp. That’s not just good theology—it’s real life.

When your needs feel heavy and your resources thin, remember this:

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
—Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

His supply isn’t based on your strength, your planning, or your predictability. It flows from His riches. And His riches never run dry.

So if today finds you in the middle of an unplanned place—confused, disappointed, or discouraged—don’t pull back. Lean in. Look around. Ask God what He might be doing that you haven’t seen yet. The closed doors, strange delays, or unexpected detours may actually be evidence that your miracle is already in motion.

God is not limited by your expectations. He delights in surpassing them.

The journey of faith is rarely what we expect. But it is always, in the end, more beautiful than we dared to hope.

So breathe deep. Stay open. And don’t be afraid to be surprised.

Because with God, surprises aren’t setbacks. They’re signs that He’s still writing your story.