Expect the Unexpected

Do you expect the unexpected from God? That is what Priscilla Shirer has been teaching us in our One in a Million study this fall. Last week I had an opportunity to experience it first hand. I had a long travel day ahead, so I settled in and began reviewing my lesson for the week. It first said “Start expecting more out of God than ever before.” Then it taught us to “Expect that God is positioning you to see Him work in your life in a unique and unusual way.” And to finish it out, we were told, “In the midst of our pain, God makes a way for us to see and experience His greatness.”  Therefore when my flight was delayed due to maintenance, I told the Lord that I couldn’t wait to see what great things He was going to do. 

My journey had actually begun six days earlier. I had left our Bible study that morning reflecting on the day’s lesson as I drove to Denver to catch my flight. Priscilla had asked us to look around and see where God was manifesting Himself in our daily lives, so I was in the expectation mode, wanting to see God at work. The gas was getting low in my gas tank, so I stopped and filled up before heading to the parking lot. When I arrived at the parking lot, I saw the dreaded signs that said Lot A: FULL, Lot B: FULL, Lot C: FULL, Lot D: FULL, Economy Lot: FULL. SO where was I supposed to park? In the One in a Million video just that morning, Priscilla had told us that even finding a parking spot could be one of His miracles. Since I didn’t have time to go to one of the off-site lots, so I began to expect my miracle parking spot, by entering the economy lot despite what the signs had revealed. Up and down the rows drivers were vying for any available space no matter how far from the terminal. I had peered down each and every row and was at the end of the lot when suddenly I spotted one space that God had saved just for me. After parking, I discovered that not only was it a space, it was a prime one. All I had to do was walk under a short tunnel and straight through the parking lot into the terminal.

Now fast forward back with me to the return trip home; I landed in Denver at 8:00 PM so the flight delay had taken an hour and a half since my flight had been scheduled to arrive at 6:30. I regretted getting in later than anticipated, but I was trusting God had a purpose in it. I was thankful for my prime parking space which was a gift from the Lord because it can be very confusing trying to find a car in a huge area such as the economy lot, especially at night, but I walked right to it and loaded the car to drive the 2 hour trip through the mountains.

While exiting the airport I was grateful that I had a full tank of gas. I phoned my husband to let him know that I was on the way home, however, a few minutes later he called me back to let me know that he had checked the road conditions since it had been snowing in the mountains most of the day and parts of the road had actually been closed earlier. He informed me that the webcams were showing blowing snowstorms ahead and encouraged me to pull off and spend the night in a hotel if the conditions warranted it. Now my expectations were really soaring—what was God going to do?

As always when returning from a trip I called my mother to let her know that my plane had arrived safely and that I was making the drive home and she assured me she would be praying for me. My daughter, Margaret also called to make sure I had landed safely and she too promised to cover my trip with prayers. 

I was praying too; my prayers included the phrase: “God I am expecting a miracle, but if you have something else in mind that is okay too.” (Another thing learned from my new friend Priscilla.) I requested that He clear my path, help me to be alert and surround my car so that I would not be blown around on the road by the strong winds. For the first hour, the conditions were clear although I could tell by the evidence that a snowstorm had preceded my arrival on the scene. Was that why my plane had been delayed? If I had arrived on time, I would have been right in the middle of what my husband had observed on the webcams, but by the time I arrived in that region the storm had dissipated. 

The last hour of my drive was not quite as pleasant as the first part, but God supplied me with provisions to make the drive bearable. Part of the way, snow was coming down, but the only reason I knew it was that I could see it below the lights, but looking straight out, it looked clear. When the snow began coming down harder, God provided me with the red lights from cars and truck to follow. The CDs that I had in the car were perfect for the drive with lyrics such as “Watching over me”… “God is in this place”…  “I believe”… “Trusting You with my life”… “Somebody’s watching”… and “Nothing to fear.” It was almost as if God had planned that group of songs just for me to listen to specifically for that moment in time. At one point the song came on called “Stay to the Middle” by Cheri Keaggy, I took this as a message from God not to get too close to the edge of the road, since it would be snowy and icy there. When I pulled into the garage safe and sound, I thought to myself, that trip seemed shorter than normal, when indeed it had taken almost thirty minutes longer than usual.

So did I get my miracle? No, I got a whole bunch of them. Thank you Lord.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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