[Jesus said] “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”

Devotion based on Mark 13:32,33

Surprises break the monotony of the mundane. Surprises often please us. If our experience with surprises has been good in the past, we most likely look forward to having more of them. Of course, there are no surprises for God. He knows all things before they happen. He even knows when the end of the world will take place.

But while God is never surprised, he has given us reason to be, and pleasantly so. When our first parents—Adam and Eve—sinned, they broke the bond of a loving, trusting relationship with God. That brought physical death into the world. The result was eternal separation from God. But surprise! Instead of condemning them to hell, God immediately told Adam and Eve that he would send a savior to reestablish that relationship with himself.

Again, we’re surprised by the way Jesus came to this earth—as a lowly, humble human being. (Yes, he’s truly God, but he is also truly human.) Jesus kept God’s laws, the laws that we have broken. He was perfect! So, we’re again surprised when we see that Jesus had to suffer and die. Why did he do so? Because he was taking our sins on himself and paying the full price for them. So, through Jesus, our relationship to God has been repaired. And really, that is no surprise; it fulfills what God told Adam and Eve.

So, there will be no real surprises when Jesus returns. He’ll come back and take his believers to live forever with him. We do not need to worry about that whatsoever. The only unknown is when it will take place. That is God’s final and wonderful surprise.

Prayer: