A YEAR OF SURPRISES
It was truly an unforgettable moment. In 1993, our family rented Fire in the Sky, the story of an alleged alien abduction. As we watched, we realized the movie was filmed in Roseburg, Oregon, where we had lived a couple of years earlier. Suddenly Linda cried out, “That’s our house!!” It was unmistakable. Our former domicile was home to the lead character, played by D.B. Sweeney. It’s hard to explain the shock wave that hit our family at that moment. Linda and the kids began to cry. I, of course, remained stoic as always (ha). Our Oregon friends had forgotten to tell us of this event.
Shocks and surprises come in every form imaginable—many of them good. Then there are the “other” kind, when we wish we could curl up into a ball and sleep for 100 years, like Rip Van Winkle.
Looking back, many of us found 2024 to be packed with surprises. Having lost Linda a few months earlier, there were devastating days last year. But I’ve also experienced moments of pure joy, where the Lord’s presence, and the love of friends, have been overwhelming. The epitome of mixed blessings.
Besides death and taxes, the one thing that’s certain in life, is that life is uncertain. The year ahead will be chocked full of surprises. What, when, where, or how is anybody’s guess. Perhaps like me, you tend to find security in a predictable future. But the Lord can shatter that idol in one second. All we can do is put on our “Scout uniforms” and “be prepared”—physically, mentally, emotionally—and especially—spiritually, for what comes our way.
Here’s what’s comforting. As we encounter life’s unpredictable bombshells, there is one constant certainty, one source of strength that endures every storm. That of course, is the Lord. In the midst of David’s up-and-down-turmoil of life, he observed, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken” (Psalm 62:1-2, ESV). Repeatedly in this Psalm he identifies God as his source of strength.
In the unpredictable days of 2025, when life throws you an unexpected (and often unwelcome) surprise, turn to the One upon whom every spiritual giant has relied for millennia: the one and only rock of our salvation, the Lord God Almighty.
Principle: God is our rock in the midst of the uncertainty around us.
Ponder:
What sudden surprise or shock have you recently faced?
How did God help you navigate through it?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Psalm 62.
Lord God, in the midst of the uncertainty and surprises that spring up all around me, help me turn to you as my rock.
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