“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Acts 9:17-21
Not everybody likes surprises. Coming home after work on your 40th birthday and walking into your house and having a dozen family members and friends yelling ‘SURPRISE’ isn’t good, especially after turning 40. Sometimes God is the one bringing the surprise. In the above verses, Saul is the one who got a surprise in the form of a light from heaven. For Ananias, it was a seemingly unreasonable and illogical command from the Lord, brought to him in a vision.
For the believers in Haiti, that have been waiting for God to reveal His plan for when the present chaos will end and His people will bring peace and order to their country…still waiting. For those of them, and us, that moment will probably be a God sized surprise. If you have ever seen one of His surprises, you can verify that His surprises always intensify our need for faith. When you encounter the surprising element of God's will, your faith must engage full throttle; otherwise, you'll turn and run in the opposite direction.
At times God's plan will frighten you. Other times you'll be momentarily disappointed; not what you had been hoping for. For instance, when God tells you no, to wait, or to sit tight, you'll want to argue. You may decide to fight and do it your way; big mistake there. You might attempt to negotiate; again, bad idea. When your faith kicks into the correct gear, none of those impulses will control you. Faith says, "I can do this. I trust you, Lord. I don't understand everything, but I trust you completely. Let's do it."
We have to trust in God and believe that He has a major move in store for the ending of chaos and beginning of His peace in Haiti. Don’t give up on Haiti…just wait for it. Wait, trust and have faith; He is at work while we worry. Schools will reopen, children will be learning more about Jesus and food will again appear at lunch time. That God sized surprise will come when we least expect it. It will ultimately intensify our need for faith.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay