Day 16: Surprise Surprise!

 

Hey SIS!!!!

 

 

Do you like surprises? Well, surprises (good things happening at perfect times) are God’s specialty. God loves our reaction to surprises. Surprises bring forth excitement, joyfulness and enthusiasm. God wants us to be excited and enthused about Him, so He is constantly looking for opportunities to surprise us. In the chapter, Batterson states, "Prayer adds an element of surprise to your life that is more fun than a surprise party or surprise gift or surprise romance. In fact, prayer turns life into a party, into a gift, into a romance." By committing to these 40 days of prayer, you have set yourself up to be surprised by God. It may not look, feel or appear like God is blessing you, but you should be excited. God loves to show up with surprises when you least expect it. So get ready because you are in the perfect position to be surprised by Him. 

 The Scripture for Day 16 is John 3:10, which reads “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Batterson focuses on the first part of the Bible verse, which reflects the notion that God moves in ways that we cannot predict. He says that the Holy Spirit “is uncontrollable, unpredictable—which can cause angst or excitement.” As believers in God, we know He is in control and has all power.  However, we don’t know how He will move and do things in our lives, but we can trust that He has a good plan for us and has perfect timing. Batterson says, “But one thing is certain: if we follow Jesus, our lives will be anything but boring.”

Batterson gives an example of how he experienced a huge surprise. God allowed him to connect with a neighbor while on vacation, and they shared a mutual friend. Later that mutual friend, connected him to another friend, who later contacted Batterson about donating property valued at $2 million to their church, National Community Church. Batterson’s first thought: “I couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d said I’d won the lottery without even buying a ticket.” But then, Batterson remembered that he had prayed to God: “Lord Surprise us.”

Imagine what would happen if we ALL circled this prayer—Lord surprise us!  What would happen if we really let go, and gave God full control! God responds to us. The Bible says “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2b). Basically, if we don’t ask God, He can’t answer us. Through this prayer challenge, we have seen God moving in our lives. He has always been there, ready to take action on our behalves, but the question is have we been asking? Let’s continue to ask. Let’s ask God to surprise us, and wait and watch for Him to move!

"Expect the unexpected because God is predictably unpredictable"

 

Say this prayer:  

Father,

Thank You for hearing my prayer. I know You love me, and want only the best for my life. I come humbly asking for You to surprise me. My Life is in Your hands. I’m looking forward to every miracle, every blessing, and every divine appointment You want me to experience. I believe You can do it, and will do it in Your perfect timing. I pray that You give me peace and fill me with excitement as a wait on You. I come against fear or doubt in the name of Jesus. I surrender my own motives, and ask that I desire Your motives. Thank you Father, for new understanding and making life so much fun! In Jesus’ Name Amen.

Post Written By: SIS Chelsea