God’s dealings with human beings are not as predictable as we think they should be. This is not to say that God is not dependable or reliable; this means that we cannot limit the way God works in our lives.
I have been a Christian for almost 35 years. I had unknowingly embraced the preconceived idea that if I do certain Christian things, then I will get certain results. When I was rearing my children I did all the Christian things: praying with them, sending them to Christian schools, and arranging play dates with Christian kids. I had expected our kids to become Christ-followers. Was I ever disappointed when the formula did not work the way I had expected! This is the unpredictability of God.
But God has not finished writing the final chapter of our children’s lives. He is still working in their hearts, even though I cannot see the end of the tunnel.
We often don’t know which destination is the best for us. We pray and ask God for certain things, believing that we want them or need them but we don’t realize that God may have better things for us. We are disappointed when he does not answer our prayers for those lesser things we plead for, and we accuse God of not loving us or not providing for us.
My friend Amy shared with me her job-hunting story. After she sold her business she was looking for a job in a very depressed market in 1994. She was applying for two jobs, one paying $6.50 per hour and the other $6.75 per hour. When she did not get either job, she was wondering what God was doing in her life. After she waited a few more months in agony and anxiety, she was given a job in finance in a big corporation. Today she is the senior vice president of the company. God is unpredictable but reliable.
What might be your experiences of God’s unpredictable dealings in your life? How might you remember that God is reliable even in the midst of unpleasant surprises?
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