Unexpected

So much of the time, when God does something, it is something completely
unexpected.

Nobody saw it coming. They were on the look out for a mighty warrior king to
come and wipe out the Roman Empire and establish His kingdom right away. Instead,
they get this guy from Nazareth, which apparently is not known for producing the best
and the brightest. (John 1:45-46) Not only was he from Nazareth, he was the son of
Joseph. And everybody knew that Joseph's wife was pregnant before they were married.
Scandalous!

One of my favorite examples of the unexpected things God does is in the book of Acts. In Acts 9:1-17, Saul had just finished asking permission to hunt down and
imprison, or even execute those 'belonging to the Way'. This, of course, lead to Saul's famous conversion experience on the road to Damascus, which in itself was something completely unexpected. But there was something else. I nearly missed it, but when it hit me, I was blown away.

The Lord visited a man named Ananias in a vision. He told him to go to Judas'
house on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. (I thought it was
pretty cool how Jesus gave him directions.) He told him that Saul was there praying and had seen a vision of Ananias lay hands on him and he regained his sight.

Ananias seemed to get a little indignant with the Lord, though. He recognized the
name Saul of Tarsus. Ananias had heard of Saul. He had heard about what Saul had
been doing to the saints in Jerusalem. He might have been harboring resentment and
unforgiveness for Saul in his heart, maybe even hate.

Jesus responded gently to his protest. He told Ananias that He had chosen Saul to
bear His name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel, and that He would
show Saul how much he would have to suffer for His name's sake.

Ananias went. I think when he heard Jesus tell him that Saul would suffer, it
made him feel better.

When Ananias got to Judas' house on Straight Street, he walked in and saw Saul
there. Who knows what went through his mind when he saw him, this man who had
imprisoned and executed his fellow saints. The air was probably thick with the tension of the moment.

Ananias walked over to Saul, and in an act of pure obedience to the Lord, he lay
his hand on Saul. As he did, something happened, his facial expression changed. He felt warm tears rolling down his cheeks. The realization had hit him. The full impact of what Jesus had done washed over him. He became overwhelmed with it. He fell to his knees next to Saul and said, "Brother Saul, ... " (v. 17)

Two hearts were healed that day on Straight Street; Saul became a new creature in
Christ, and as for Ananias, the Lord Jesus taught him how to forgive in a very unexpected way.

God is AWESOME!