Some people live for surprises. Surprise parties, surprise gifts, surprise vacations, surprises in any form, we love them. What husband has not won some “brownie points” by coming home after work with a bouquet of flowers for his wife for no particular reason? She loved the surprise. What wife has not shown her love by getting her husband the new “toy” he had been wanting “out of the blue?” He was surprised by the sentiment. We love surprises like this because of their unexpected nature and the thought that fueled them.
Other surprises are not so pleasant. Some are relatively passive in impact. A man walks out to his car in the morning to go to work only to find that it will not start. A woman calls to pay a bill learning that she is a day late and five dollars have been added to the balance. A child gets to school and immediately learns there will be a pop quiz covering the previous night’s homework. None bring joy, but none are exactly life-altering. However, some surprises are somewhat more serious and disconcerting. The phone rings and the voice at the other end informs you a cherished friend or family member has been in an accident, losing their life. A man is called into the office of their employer one day only to learn the company is downsizing and their job is now lost. A woman goes to her doctor for a routine check-up and is abruptly informed she has some form of cancer. None are pleasant and each drastically affects the next several days, weeks, months, and even years to come.
So surprises can be good or they can be bad, and often the unexpectedness brings a sense of discomfort, wondering whether our next surprise will bring happiness or heartache. But there is one thing in which we can take comfort – there are no surprises with God! Everything we need to know, we have available (2 Peter 1:3). Our choices have been made explicitly apparent (Mathew 7:13-14). The consequences of our actions have been clearly revealed (Matthew 25:46). If in the end I am blessed with an eternal home in Heaven, it will not be by accident; if I am consigned to the eternal torment of Hell, it should be of no surprise (2 Corinthians 5:10) [though to some it will be because of their false hope]. God is perfect in His mercy (Psalm 84:11), He is perfect in His justice (Acts 10:34-35), and He is true to His promises (2 Peter 3:9). And there is comfort in it all. I am so thankful that I serve a God whose word is priceless instead of worthless. He is a God upon whom I can rely. He is a God in whom I can trust. Why? Because He is a God of no surprises!