Worth Repeating - October 15, 2017

Matthew 11: 25, 26 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” (NIV)

God has never been governed by what is common.*

Praise and thanksgiving are similar concepts. We might consider that we thank God for what he does while we praise him for who he is. In these verses, Jesus sort of invalidates that theory by praising God for something that he has done. God does not conform to our attempts to understand him on our terms.

Jesus may have been praising his Father for what he had done, but what the Father did was typical of who he is. He is the Master of the Unexpected. God hid his revelation from those we think most likely to comprehend, choosing instead to reveal himself to those who don’t trust in their own wisdom and education. He wants us wiped clean of preconceptions, pride, and self so that he can imprint us with himself.

God has chosen to save the world through an action that no one could have expected – even though it was predicted. As the song says: this is such a strange way to save the world;* but God’s unlikely choices and unexpected actions serve his purpose. This is the way God operates. What he does for his good pleasure always works for our good as well. That’s just who he is. Praise the Lord!

God is never restricted to our expectations and understandings. His grace is frequently upsetting and surprising.*