GOD’S NOT OBVIOUS

Sending Holiday Greetings your way! Merry Christmas! 

Tis the season to be jolly and even though some of us have no actual evidence of this vibe in our homes, it’s enough for us that every store has taken the responsibility of reminding us, thanks to the Christmas music that’s played, not to mention the decor. 

We are 9 days away from a new year and some are heaving sighs of relief while some are experiencing bouts of anxiety wondering what the next year holds, if 2020 is anything to go by. As we reflect, we are probably going to be caught up in thinking about how things didn‘t go our way to thinking of how God didn’t show up in the way we hoped He would, which is why I write this to you, to remind you of a core truth that will set you free from the assumptions that want to cage you, believing that this truth will not only ease the burden of your heart but also usher you into a season filled with hope.

A couple of weeks ago as I read the book of Acts, I got to the final chapters when Paul finally made it to Rome, I couldn’t help but rejoice at how God had honored Paul’s desire as seen in Acts 19:21 and God’s promise in Acts 23:11. Paul , being a  missionary, had this desire to preach and for some reason, Rome was his “target destination” and yet every time, there was a hurdle to get through and things just never seemed to go as planned, but he never gave up.

He finally got to Rome but not as a missioner. Paul had visited many areas preaching and helping church start ups and instead he went to Rome as a prisoner. As I read this, God placed this statement in my heart as I thought about Paul’s whole journey. God said to me “I am not obvious” and it was mind blowing. I instantly thought of how God had gone outside of my expectations and how He had shown up in ways I didn’t expect; not just this year but every other time. He promised to get Paul to Rome, He just didn’t say how he would get him there.

It’s not that God doesn’t show Himself, He only chooses the means of showing, which we often don’t know until it happens.

In the same way, He has promised fruitfulness and results, but He hasn’t shown the specific path that will take you there. A key trait to note from Paul is that he had trusted and wholly surrendered to God. His arrest could have derailed him but it didn’t. The murder attempts could have made him question whether it was worth it (Acts 23:12). It could have caused him to refrain from sharing and yet the opposite happens. If anything, he gets louder. Even when he was a captive, he was always taking advantage of those opportunities he was offered (to state his case of defense) as a means of sharing the gospel of Christ. Paul was so lost, so deep in God’s business that the outer circumstances meant nothing (You get the magnitude of this when you read all his letters)

You will get where God wants you anyhow. Only surrender!

As we see Paul journeying through the sea (Acts 27-Acts 28), you’d be inclined to think that it was all going to end or that there was someone else in charge yet we see clearly that God doesn’t waste any event. In those moments, Paul became a voice of reason and spoke with authority ( Acts 27:33-38). It looked like he was lined up to die but God used every opportunity to show His hand was upon Paul’s life.  It all had to happen like it did because God isn’t obvious!

• We think the way to get money for a business start up is to get a job and save up over the years but then God chooses to send a divine connector who gives you the capital you need.
• We think that in order to get promoted, you have to labor for 5 years and ace every appraisal meeting and then God pulls a trick up His holy sleeve, swoops in and positions you for an opportunity with your employer that showcases your capability, integrity and decides it’s your time and you get favor with your boss.
• Like Jesus, His Eternal Kingship started out as a baby in a manger. No one could’ve imagined our savior would make an entrance in that manner. I love the lyric line from Hillsong that says “You could have saved us in a second, instead you sent a child.”
• David was able to rise through levels starting from being a shepherd boy to being a harp player in the palace till his time came. There is always a gap between anointing and appointing and it isn’t the usual order of things to get you there eg apprenticeship and the likes. 
• Like Joseph, your dreams may take you through traumatic events before it is actualized but granted, God will still get you there and bring it to pass.

….all this and more, because God isn’t obvious. You just can’t tell what will come and that’s the beauty of it. It is the undebatable evidence of His superiority and sovereignty.

His promises are sure and yet His ways of getting us there aren’t obvious.

God completes what He begins. He is the God who keeps His promises. He is the God who establishes the desires of our hearts. Everything God puts in our way will always play a part in the eternal purposes He has for us even when it means that things will have to get worse before they get better.

May we receive wisdom, spiritual understanding and the surrendered posture that will cause us to open our eyes so that we do not cage ourselves with our assumptions and expectations of how God will work in our lives, what He will do and how He will get us to where He wants us. 

As the year ends and you are tempted to write it off, remember that God isn’t obvious and that’s the best part about Him. Whatever the year offered is only a segment of God’s plan in your life and it will be evident as His purposes over your life unfolds.

So put aside your limited expectation and remember that God doesn’t read from anyone’s script! His ways are not our ways and neither are His thoughts our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:11)

You are light and you are so loved. Stay Anchored and keep His light shining through.