Expect the unexpected.

Expect the unexpected.

Life is unpredictable. None of us really knows what lies ahead of us. This could be very frightening. We could get ourselves all worked up about what might possibly happen to us. On the other hand, the words, “expect the unexpected” could be, for us, an invitation, from God, to enter into a greater experience of the abundance of his blessing.

Expect the unexpected.

Thinking about this led me to think about some verses from the book of Acts. The first verse I thought about was Acts 1:8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus was telling his disciples that something wonderful was going to happen.

From Acts 1:8, let’s move on to Acts 2:41, “about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Three thousand on one day: who would have expected this?

From Acts 2:41, we move on to Acts 9:3-6, As Saul neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.””

From three thousand to one man: what was so unexpected and so amazing about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus? Who would have predicted that Saul of Tarsus, a notorious persecutor of Christians, would become Paul the Apostle, a man who would, by the grace of God, bring to Christ, many people in many different places?

Expect the unexpected.

That’s the message that comes to us, so powerfully, from the book of Acts. As we hear this message from the Day of Pentecost and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, may God help us to step forward into the future, confident that God is with us and that he will still, in our day, show himself to be the God of salvation.