Sometimes before my eldest drives away to his destination I remind him of a few road rules. Hunter’s reply is most often, “I know mom. I’m not going to get into an accident.” Then my wide-eye reply is always to that statement, “You don’t know when you are going to get into an accident. That’s why it is called an accident. You don’t plan on getting hit or hitting someone.” Are you with me?
Hey, girls, what about when you go shopping? Usually when you have something specific in mind, you can never find it. You go from store to store, and to no avail, that one thing you had envisioned in your mind is nowhere to be found. But when you least expect it, “Bam!” there is that perfect something you were looking for last week. Are you with me on that one too?
Okay, here’s one more scenario. Last Sunday, during our small group fellowship, one of the members told us the story of his niece, whom had just gotten married. His niece had prayed and made a promise to the Lord when she was in her teens to remain pure until her wedding day. That young teen made it through high school, went away to college, had joined the working world, and still remained faithful to her promise to God. The gentleman that she ended up marrying had made that same promise to God when he was a teen. He was approaching thirty years of age and had almost given up hope on finding “the” woman. He was ready to throw in the towel and go find him a one-night-stand-kinda-girl. Little did he know that when he left for that evening he would find “the one” that God had planned for him all along. A young woman who had made the same promise to God that he had made. You can call it an “accident”, “the unexpected thing you were looking for”, a coincidence, or what it truly is….a God thing. Are you still with me?
Well, in Matthew 24:36-51 we read about how in Noah’s time “People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.”(verse 39); the scene of “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.” (verse 40a); and a burglar breaking into your home (verse 43). All three scene happened when it was least expected.
The three “now times” scenarios are much like the ones in “biblical times”. They all occurred when it was least anticipated.
When we read Matthew 24:44, Jesus tells us to be prepared. “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” I thinking we need to expect the unexpected at anytime.
Verse 36 says, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. Every time I read that verse, I always imagine what Beth Moore had mentioned in a bible study one time. She said that she visualized Jesus sitting at the right hand of God and just rocking back and forth at the edge of His throne. He would be saying to His Father, “Can I go yet? Can I go get my bride now?”
Jesus is anxiously waiting for you and me. Will you be with me?
Get your heart right with God and be prepared for that unexpected day. It could be today!
Blessings to you!
Prayer: “Lord, I hope Your word speaks to others the way it does to me. Thank You for reminding me to expect the unexpected. Thank You for reminding me to be prepared. Thank You sending Your Son so that I can join You one day in heaven. I’m grateful that You are with me at all times, and that one day I’ll be with You too. Amen.”
| February 9 |