When Surprises Come O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 In June 1995, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, was deposed in a coup by his own son, the Crown Prince of Qatar. The Sheikh was in Switzerland when the coup occurred, but he vowed to return and regain the throne. (He didnt; his son remained the new leader of the nation.) The Emir of Qatar was no doubt embarrassed by his grown sons behavior; parents tend to think that post-adolescent children will be friends for life. But trouble can come at unexpected times. The same thing happened to King David of Israel near the end of his life when his son Absalom rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15). David was brokenhearted over his sons actions and poured out his heart to God in the Judean Desert (Psalm 63). Even in the midst of heartache David vowed to seek God, to rejoice in Him, and to seek refuge in the shadow of [His] wings (verse 7). Whether we are young, middle-aged, or older, we should be prepared for trouble. We are born for it, Job said, as the sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). Whether you are in the desert or green pastures today, put your hope in God. What surprises us is no surprise for Him. Hope is never ill when faith is well. John Bunyan --TURNING POINT
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 08:56:25 +0000