Promise:
God is omniscient which means He is never surprised.
Passage:
For being made in the image of God, I think of a thousand ways in which we are unlike God. We are not uncreated. We are not the creator. We are not omnipresent. We are not omniscient.
We can be surprised. God can’t.
It was only a few years ago when I learned this obvious-when-you-say-it truth. David Leonard wrote in his song “Plans” the lyric that God could never be surprised and it hit me like a slap across the forehead.
Of course! This is why we constantly have to be reminded not to fear. God can’t be afraid. He already knows the ending.
Hebrews 4:13
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Isaiah 46:9-10
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
(This whole chapter is worth a read. Really puts the differences between us and God and between God and our man-made idols into perspective)
Psalms 139:14-18
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
I enjoy watching those cheesy Hallmark-style holiday movies. Sure, they all share the same plot. Sure, you know how it ends from the movie thumbnail (not the trailer, literally from the first poster). You know there will be hot cocoa, a Christmas festival emergency in a small town, and a handsome fella in a flannel shirt. They are so predictable. And that is why I love them. Predictable is nostalgic, comfortable, easy, casual, and stress-free. You literally don’t have to worry about missing anything when you walk away to refill your eggnog. There is no drama. It is so unlike life. At least my life.
Not only has God created mankind and had a front row seat to the unfolding of history. Not only has he advised our wisest leaders throughout centuries. But he isn’t bound by time. He sees our past, present, and future (and all others throughout all time) all at once. The patterns, the interactions, the movements, the heartaches, the triumphs, all of it. There are no plot twists in God’s perspective. We can trust Him. You are plot protected, if you trust the writer, director, and producer of your life.
Practice:
Below are the lyrics to the David Leonard song mentioned earlier. Go find the official music video or the audio track and read along as the prayer washes over you.
You care about the details
You know exactly what I need
In every situation
I feel Your goodness over me
‘Cause You know what the future holds
You can never be surprised
There’s nothing that can shake Your love
I trust You with my life
‘Cause You got plans for me
You got plans for me
God, they’re so much bigger and better
Than I could have ever dreamed
My future and my hope
You’ll never let me go
And I surrender everything I am
Into Your hands
And I trust Your plans
Yeah, I trust Your plans
If Your eyes are on the sparrow
Then how much more do You think about me
Pause:
Reflecting on the song and the scriptures above, what does it mean to you that God can’t be surprised? What comfort does that give you at this time?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________