Engage

Surprised by God!

April 12, 2012 / 4 Comments

I love surprises, don’t you? Unexpected gifts, sweet notes of encouragement out of the blue, or small thoughtful acts. Such things represent the care, love, and grace of friends and relatives. God delights in surprising us sometimes, often out of the blue in totally unexpected ways. Such surprises can’t be explained by random chance; only the providential love of God supplies an answer. Recently God has been quite busy surprising me. 

The story begins last fall with a call from someone inviting me to speak for three luncheons in an area several hours away. Because my sister recently relocated there, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to visit her for several days this week. God’s first surprise!

Last month my eighty-nine-year-old mother was hospitalized after a fall, creating the necessity for her to live closer to one of us. When she needed physical therapy, my sister chose a two-week intensive rehab facility near her. Getting to spend time with my mother each day while I am in that area was surprise number two!
 
The day before Mother’s two weeks in that facility were up, a bed opened in the rehab area of the place where she will live long-term.  Now she can simply move to another type of room there when she completes physical therapy. Surprise number three!
 
Then, last week I received my invitation to the luncheon where I am speaking today.Because this group moves around each month, I didn’t know where it would be. When I saw that it was being held in the very place my mother is living, I laughed aloud. Surprise number four—and the biggest one of all! She will actually get to hear me; after all, she eats there every day anyway. 
 
God delights in such surprises! He worked the timing out months ago when a woman asked me to come the very month when the luncheon is at this home. God knew exactly where Mother would be and wanted her to attend. Thank you, Father God, for aweing me with your surprises.
 
 “Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).
 
How has God surprised you with his providential care?

Post Views: 67

Kay is a life-long Texan whose favorites are Tex-Mex, books that feed her soul or make her think, good movies and travel to new places. Her great joy is to serve God by teaching the Bible and developing women as servant-leaders. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries, which provides free videos, podcasts and articles as well as low-cost Bible studies to prepare Christian women for leadership. (beyondordinarywomen.org) Kay spent ten years leading women’s ministries on church staffs, most recently at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas. Kay is the author of From Ordinary Woman to Spiritual Leader: Grow your Influence, a practical guide to help Christian women influence others by applying foundational leadership skills to their lives and ministries, and a number of Bible studies for women, some are available at bible.org and the newer ones are found at beyondordinarywomen.org. Kay earned an M.A.C.E. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Effective Ministries to Women. Kay’s family includes a husband, two grown children, one son-in-law, two hysterical granddaughters and a Goldendoodle.

You May Also Like

Was the woman at the well a “bad girl?”

January 2, 2015
Eternal perspective

What Does It Mean To Live With an Eternal Perspective?

March 17, 2021
What is better than Shirley Temple goodness?

What is better than Shirley Temple goodness?

January 26, 2024

4 Comments

  • Sara Alexander

    April 12, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Kay, how wonderful!  He can

    Kay, how wonderful!  He can arrange life so much better than we, can't He?   And receiving from Him is so much better than striving after "blessings" ourselves.   Happy for you.

    • Kay Daigle

      April 12, 2012 at 12:48 pm

      Receiving from God

      Sara, Absolutely true! When God moves so amazingly to bless us, it is overwhelming to simply sit and receive such gifts. Thank you!

  • SonShine

    April 12, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    love surprises
    Last week I had an unexpected surprise myself. On the first Tues of each month the facility where I teach my precious “senior saints” has another wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy something other than Bible Study. I take that afternoon when my precious ones are free to do “visitation”. As I was explaining this all to them I received surprise #1 – they invited me to eat lunch with them. What a surprise and what a blessing because afterwards..you guessed it…surprise #2..a tornado watch. So instead of wandering all over this assisted living facility finding different apts I had them all in one spot! What a neat opportunity to visit and make new friends. Thankfully the tornado passed our little Richardson area and prayers were heard by our Father.

    Surprises are surely neat and God is so good at bringing them to us just when they are unexpected.
    GEA

    • Kay Daigle

      April 12, 2012 at 8:05 pm

      Great story!

      Thank you, SonShine, for sharing your story of your surprise from God. I love it!