Gary W. Cooper - Surprised by God

Surprised by God!

L ife is uncertain and can throw a surprise when we least expect it. These surprises can interrupt our routine and force us to adjust to the unfamiliar and uncomfortable. It is therefore wise to live our lives expecting unexpected surprises. Yet our tendency is to live as if we have total control over our lives. Unexpected surprises come without warning. They bring emotions to the surface that we dont normally express. We are faced with the reality that we are frail, finite humans and we are not in control. We hope and pray these kinds of challenges dont pop up on our radar anytime soon, so we push the thoughts to the back of our minds.

For some people, life can sometimes flow for extended periods with a familiar routine. We get accustomed to doing the same things, which gives us a sense of balance and stability. To interrupt the monotony, we sometimes interject a change of pace, such as taking a vacation. Our daily routine of life can be a source of comfort, assurance, and pride that we are above water and not sinking in the perils of life if we are doing well.

For someone who has a steady income, money in the bank, relatively good health, and leisure time, life is good.

In all of this apparent certainty, we have no plans for an unexpected, unwelcomed surprise that could change our lives in ways we could never imagine. We know life can go terribly awry, but we expect it to happen to other people. We dont see ourselves on the list of unexpected crisis.

How we respond when we get an unexpected surprise is based on what or who is the source of our strength. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are ahead of the game. There is an unlimited reserve of grace, hope, and love that is available to you at any time. All you need to do is submit to God and experience his peace in the midst of your storm. He is willing and ready to walk close beside you on this journey and wants to demonstrate his love to you.

I had just signed up with a new doctor and was looking forward to my first visit and physical. Dr. William Smith was pleasant and had good bedside manner. The physical was a breeze, and I answered all of his questions in the negative. When the physical ended, he quipped that he couldnt make money off someone like me. We both laughed, and he sent me down the hall for blood work. I left the office feeling good that I had a good physical. Later that day, around 2:00 p.m., I got a call from the doctors office. The physicians assistant said my PSA was 21, and the doctor was sending me to a urologist.

I was stunned by the number and asked her to repeat it. I knew it meant something major. Anything higher than a 3 is cause for concern. Weeks of stress and agony went by as I waited to see the urologist. Finally I had a phone meeting and was told to come in and give a urine sample. The sample led to an MRI which further led to a biopsy. The results of the biopsy were clear.

Hearing the words You have prostate cancer was shocking and unbelievable. I had no family history of cancer. My PSA was previously 1.5. I thought I was practicing a healthy lifestyle with exercise and a healthy diet. When given the options by the nurse practitioner, I processed the shocking news quickly and made a decision in minutes for a prostatectomy, which means removal of the prostate gland. I left the office with the strength and confidence of the Lord and had the presence of mind to call up five people from the parking lot and calmly inform them of the shocking news.

On the day of my surgery, I was amazed at how calm I was. I checked in early and went through about three hours of paperwork and medical preparation. I was really encouraged when the son of a missionary friend who had recently passed away showed up to chat with me before surgery. Before I was rolled in the operating room, he grabbed my hand and prayed a wonderful prayer. Everyone in the room had heads bowed when Seth Robinson prayed. I was impressed that Seth was so bold with his faith among his peers. He is a respected anesthesiologist who has trained personnel at the hospital. God was letting me know that he was with me even minutes before surgery.

When we face a crisis that we have no power to control, we need to rely on the faithfulness of God. Our faith is taken to the brink of a cliff. At that moment, our feelings may not match our biblical knowledge of Gods assurance. Questions pop into our head, God, Where are you? Why did this happen to me? Why now? We may even feel ashamed that these thoughts come to our mind and wonder why we dont feel like a great champion of the faith.

For some who have been repeatedly tried and tested by the strains of life, they have developed a deep faith that is a shield of defense. This is the result of a surrendered life to God, which is achieved by daily dying to self and placing all our hope in God. It is Gods desire to have intimate fellowship with us; sometimes he will use dramatic ways to get our focus on him. An unexpected crisis that we did not see on our radar is a moment for us to pause and ask God what he is trying to say to us and what he wants us to do. This is the time God will reveal himself to us and demonstrate his unconditional love for us.

The surgery was very successful, and I continued to get positive updates at the time of this writing.

How we choose to respond to a surprise from God will affect how deep our relationship will grow with him. If we choose to trust him over fear and despair, his presence becomes stronger in our lives. Our shock and disappointment is viewed as an opportunity for God to demonstrate his awesome power of assurance and sustainability in our lives. We come to the realization that only God can meet our deepest needs.

The testimony of Magella, a lifelong prayer warrior, supports this perspective:

When I look back from where the Lord brought me from, I am amazed of his loving-kindness towards me. I look back at my life at the present, and I am still amazed he brought me from an impoverished island at an early age and became my Savior. I see his daily provision. He has sustained me in the surprises of life by giving me his peace. Truly, God has been faithful to me over sixty years; he has directed my path and me from evil. I feel his peace in my heart in the midst of all the chaos in the world today. I say Thank you and Truly, you have been faithful.

The Holy Spirit will calm our hearts in uncertainty. We must be willing to resist our fleshly nature to cause us to look elsewhere for direction. Gods wisdom is wiser than mans wisdom. First Corinthians 1:25 states, Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men (KJV).

A surprise from God is his invitation to elevate you in your spiritual journey by putting you through his refining process. Layers of human self-centered thinking have to be peeled away layer by layer and replaced by a God-centered perspective. In short, we empty ourselves, and God pours himself into us. It is not any easy or comfortable process, but the more we surrender to God, the deeper our love grows for him.

We know our flaws, and we know we need to get rid of them. The problem is we know we cant change them on our own, but we keep telling ourselves we will change some time soon. The answer is we cant change such habits without divine intervention. As believers in Christ, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live a godly life. Yet in spite of this fact, many Christians are burdened with sinful and addictive habits in their lives that they cant seem to control.

God can intervene in our lives through people whom he sends to warn or rebuke us to turn away from destructive living. When we fail to heed his warnings, God may step it up a notch by giving us a crisis in our lives that gets our attention. God will stop at nothing to let us know he has our number.