Ours Is A God of Pleasant Surprises!

Taste and see that the Lord is good. -Psalm 34:8

This week we would like to introduce you to a new contributing writer to FaithHub.net. Kyle Reynolds is the director of young adults at Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue, Washington and has been a full-time minister for the past twelve years. We’re so happy to welcome Kyle to our team and are excited to get his perspective on so many issues. We hope you enjoy this first article about all the pleasant surprises Easter brings!

A Pleasant Surprise

Last week I went to bed angry. Laura and I had an argument and she wanted to talk it out but instead I was stubborn and fell asleep. The next morning I awoke to my three year old son, Lincoln, pulling on the covers and the smell of hot coffee. Laura had made me breakfast in bed. She had gotten up early to make this just for me. What a pleasant surprise! I didn’t see that one coming! The breakfast softened my heart and humbled me as I remembered I’m in a relationship with an amazing person.

I think that’s why I love Easter. It’s a day filled with pleasant surprises. One of my favorite Easter stories happened one early morning on the beach of Tiberius. Previously, Peter had betrayed Jesus three separate times during his greatest time of need. Jesus had been murdered on a cross and then resurrected from the grave but him and Peter had not yet talked about what had happened. Peter was on a boat one morning when there on the beach stood the resurrected God of the Universe. The same God, Peter pretended didn’t exist. Peter is understandably shaken, so he jumps into the water and begins swimming ashore. This is where the story picks up:

When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat… Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” (2)

Wow, what a pleasant surprise! If I was Peter, I would have expected at least a cold shoulder. Wouldn’t an “I told you so” made sense in this situation? Shouldn’t the logical thing be to enlist a strict rehabilitation program for Peter with limited responsibilities so he doesn’t make the rest of us look bad again?

But the God of Easter reacts differently. Instead of a cold shoulder, he makes a warm breakfast. This grace can soften our heart and humble us as we remember how good He really is. God’s love for us defies logic. While we go our way, he gets up early planning extravagant expressions of His love. His response to our mistakes is different from any other person we know. He is the God of the pleasant surprise.

May God pleasantly surprise you this Easter.