COULD IT BE? ANSWERS WRAPPED IN UNEXPECTED PACKAGES!
What do you do when you receive answers wrapped in unexpected packages? Maybe you prayed for something that God has answered, but it is now in a form you never expected. How do you navigate answered prayers that don’t look like what you imagined? Has this ever happened to you? Has God surprised you by giving you what you asked but it came in a form you did not expect? And now you are wondering how to navigate it? Well, today I have a word for you. This word is meant to encourage you and also learn how to navigate the process. So let’s get right to it.
The Jews, especially the Pharisees, missed out on having a relationship and experiential knowledge with Jesus because He did not come in the form they expected. They limited God and His ways because they stuck to their limited mind. But before we blame them let us look at the prophecies made concerning the Messiah to get where they were coming from.
The prophets had prophesied that the Messiah would be a royal and a king.
Isaiah 9:6–7
For to us, a child is born, to us, a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
They expected Jesus to be born into a royal family. Jesus instead was born in a manger to the wife of a carpenter. Instead of being a royal, Jesus took the form of a suffering servant. Now, in those days, having a king was important and that was why the Israelites asked God for a king because they wanted to be like the other nations. They wanted a king they could see. They did not want God to continue ruling them because they could not physically see Him. So for Jesus to come as a suffering servant was a blow to their ego and perspective.
Often we always take God at His literal words when sometimes what He is saying is based on an eternal perspective and not an earthly one. Therefore, it is important to have discernment. Unless you can discern what God is doing, you will miss when He moves. And the Holy Spirit wants to give you discernment. He wants you to know what God is doing. And that is how we question whether the answer is from God because it came in unexpected packages. But the truth is that when you have a relationship with the Holy Spirit, you will discern what God is doing and not miss Him.
They thought that being a royal, the Messiah would come riding on chariots and horses, instead, Jesus came riding on a donkey.
Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt. Zechariah 9:9
This was fulfilled in Mathew 21.
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c]
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
First off, Jesus had to fulfill all the promises God made because God is not a man that He should lie and He always fulfills His promises. Yet again, the Pharisees could not reconcile Jesus riding on a donkey and Him being a king. They thought He looked more like an average person. And again, they missed interacting with Him because they were hung up on their views and what a king should look like. Has this happened to you? Have you missed out on God because He gave you answers wrapped in unexpected packages?
They assumed because the Messiah would be a king, He would overthrow the Roman empire, and rule over them, but that was not the case
Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin and death. His focus was not on the earthly kingdom. The Jews, however, did not know that. His disciples also did not know that too. They assumed Jesus would overthrow the Roman empire so much so that they fought over who would be Jesus’ right-hand man when He took over from the Romans. But Jesus challenged their beliefs. God wants to challenge your beliefs. Therefore, He gave you answers wrapped in unexpected packages.
Jesus, time and time again, challenged their thinking. And to date, there are some Jews still waiting on the Messiah to come. Imagine all the amazing things and experiences they missed out on. They had the opportunity to hang out with the Son of God on a one-on-one basis. They had the chance to learn from Him, experience freedom and deliverance, and have a personal relationship with Him. But no! Because Jesus did not come in the form they expected, they disregarded Him.
Application. What do you do when God gives you answers wrapped in unexpected packages?
Before you judge the Pharisees, let me ask you this! How many times have you disregarded an answer from God because it did not come in the expected package? God has promised us that when we pray, He hears our prayers and He answers. But what we cannot realize is that God has no limits and His ways differ from ours. This means that His answer will most often come in a form we do not expect. He does this because He wants to get us out of our comfort zone and learn to fully trust and rely on Him.
As human beings, we can only see so far, but God knows the end from the beginning and so He knows what’s best for us. Aside from that, He also can’t be boxed and has different ways of answering. Just when we think we know who God is, He surprises us. I am sure at one point we have all missed out on God’s best because we were busy focusing on the shortcomings of the package. As Christians, God takes us through paths that shake and stretch us. He does so because He needs us to walk by faith and not by sight. How else will you learn to trust God if your journey is predictable? Again, your strength can only be revealed in your weakness. Diamonds are revealed under pressure.
Most of us don’t like change. In fact, if it was up to us we would probably want to stay in our comfort zones. Unfortunately for us, God will never allow us to stay there. And He knows the only way we can grow is if He shakes some stuff in our lives and places us in uncomfortable situations that challenge our thinking and mindsets.
How do we stop limiting God?
Because of our limited minds, we have limited God and have reduced Him to a genie in the box. But today you realize our God is Sovereign, Mighty, overall, and your Creator. This means that even the most miniature preferred package can be glorious as long as it has God’s stamp of approval. When God gives you answers wrapped in unexpected packages, He wants you to come up higher and stop limiting Him. He wants you to perceive things as He does. After all, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Could it be that you have been limiting God?
Simply trust
God tells us that when we put our trust in Him, we will not be disappointed! Trust is simply letting go of what you think it should look like and embracing where He is taking you. Would you say you trust God? It’s very easy to trust God at the mountaintop, but will you trust Him in the valley? Will you allow Him to redirect your steps as He wills? In all honesty, our walk with God is not a straight line. It is full of twists and turns, redirection, and sometimes a seemingly stagnant season. He can take you in the opposite direction from where you were going. But as long as He is with you, you can be sure that you will get to the intended destination.
Joseph- Mary’s husband had to trust God when He was asked to move to Egypt to save the life of Jesus. One day they were in Bethlehem and the next in Egypt. Abraham had to trust when God told him to leave his homeland. Trusting in God does not mean you will not have fear and doubt. This just means that despite the fear, doubt, and confusion, you still choose to trust Him. When God gives you answers wrapped in unexpected packages, simply trust that He knows what He is doing. And everything will make sense in due time.
Be open
If we go on this life so rigid and stuck in our ways, we will never get to experience all the amazing things God has for us. We know by now that God will never force His will on us. We have to give Him our yes for Him to lead and guide us. No wonder the book of Proverbs tells us God orders the steps of the righteous. Being open gives God room to mold you into what He wants you to be. He can refine and transform you to bring out the hidden gem in you. Being open is simply telling God that yes, I have these plans but You change them however you want to bring out what you want in me.
When He says He will give you a glorious future, believe Him. God might not give you what you want or what you think you need, He will give you what He knows you need. If you make yourself available, He will lead you and in the future, you will look back and be glad that you gave Him your yes. It is okay if in the past you failed to give God your yes. You can start now and always know that it is never too late to trust Him and be open.
Conclusion
When God gives you answers wrapped in unexpected packages, I want you to know that He is inviting you to come up higher and see things from His perspective. Reliance on God is not devoid of fear. It is the trust that should you hit a dead-end, He will make a way. It is telling God that although I have a plan and my way; I choose to take on yours, trusting that you will not let me down because that is what you say in your word. Faith is being open and available and choosing to see the good in God’s redirection and letting go of our expectations.
Holy Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders… Take me deeper where my feet could never wander so my faith will be made stronger. In God I trust!
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Radiantly Resurging
Mercy is the author and founder of radiantly resurging. She is a Christian and having gone through the wilderness season, she decided to impart the knowledge learned to help others navigate their wilderness season too
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