SURPRISE - Jan. 30th, 2008

Last week I was in San Antonio for a missions conference at Destiny Church. I normally attend every year and have developed some lifelong friendships and ministry connections. One morning I was ministering and a very short prophetic word came to me concerning one of my friends. "I'm going to surprise you this year". So, without much inner resistance, I shared that with him and his wife. They smiled and we kinda laughed at the thought of God surprising us. Then I began to think...How could it be a surprise if God felt the need to share it with him? My reasoning kicked in. Maybe I hadn't really heard God at all. If God wanted to surprise someone, why would he let them know in advance?
This morning I heard another phrase. "Expect the unexpected". Now I've heard that before...probably preached it. Now it's beginning to make sense. God wants us to be ready for the new things he has for us. He wants us to expect them. Though we may be surprised as to their content and character, we are not surprised at their arrival. We must always be ready for surprises of the supernatural kind. If His mercies are new every morning, then everyday ought to have wrapped within it's packaging a surprise of some kind. It's kind of like your birthday. You know your going to get gifts but you don't necessarily know whats inside the beautifully wrapped boxes.
In fact, as I think of it, if we are not regularly being surprised by God and His goodness, we may be in some unhealthy way disconnected or out of touch..unprepared for the surprise of God.
I may have to write a book. "Surprised by God". Has a cool ring to it...

Wanna meet me here in the morning?
Sam