UnexpectedSample

Imagine how free we’d feel if we learned to truly believe that in every situation, trust was the antidote to fear, that consciously trusting God would cause our moments of anxiety and panic to be short-lived. Imagine if we could grow to a place where trusting him was our first reaction. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

It’s time for us to live this way. I’ve learned how every single one of my experiences, both the expected and the unexpected, is never wasted in God. I’ve learned how he uses them in my life—past and present—to prepare and to propel me into my future. I believe God wants us to get to a place of such great faith that we anticipate the gains that are coming into our lives as we continue to trust him no matter what we’re facing. It’s part of how we become more like Christ.

When Jesus was on the cross, facing death, he thought of more than his immediate suffering. He thought of more than the fierceness of the enemy’s attack. He thought of us, and what his present circumstance would produce in our future. And he showed us how to live free from the fear that inevitably comes with the unexpected. Later, the apostle Peter drew on Christ’s example when he wrote: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy”(1 Peter 4:12–13 NKJV).

“Do not think it strange.” We could read that as: Do not be afraid of the unexpected. Do not think, What next? Let’s not allow fear to condition us to expect the worst. Instead, let’s courageously move through every new event expecting God to do something great with our lives, trusting him at a new level of faith. Let’s remember that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

Adapted from Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine. Copyright © 2018 by Christine Caine. Reprinted with permission of Zondervan Publishing. All rights reserved.