God's bag of surprises
Eliphaz said: "If I were in your shoes, I’d go straight to God,
I’d throw myself on the mercy of God.
After all, he’s famous for great and unexpected acts;
there’s no end to his surprises." ~ Job 5:8-9 (MSG)
“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said (to Jesus), “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” ~ John 5:7-8 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God is full of wonderful surprises that benefit us in our times of need.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for all your miracles and unrecognized interventions that have brought me to this place. Yet, I'm still not at the point where I expect you to do the unexpected. I'm still reluctant to step out in faith. And when times do get hard I get discouraged. Help me to trust you and your bag of surprises. I'm sure that they're all in my best interest. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
