Nothing Catches God By Surprise

Intro:

James 5:16 NKJV

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Today, I have shifted gears to bring a brief devotion that will lead us into a time of prayer. I want to share on the thought of [Nothing Catches God by Surprise].

Some people love surprises while others do not. Whatever category we find ourselves, we should always remember that nothing catches God by surprise.

Situations might arise in our life that cause us to feel blindsided, but as one evangelist said, “There are no emergency meetings in heaven.”

From beginning to end, God knows EVERYTHING. For some reason He does not always tell us exactly what will happen in advance, but we take hope and comfort that He knows exactly what has happened, currently happens, and will happen.

This morning, for obvious reasons, I want to share from the book of James.

For those who knew James, the fact that he wrote a book would have surprised many.

Why exactly?

He was one of Jesus’s earthly brothers. We might think that would make him a perfect candidate to write a letter to the church, but James for the longest time was an unbeliever.

While Jesus lived, he doubted and questioned Jesus and his identity. It was not until Jesus rose from the dead that he placed his trust in the Jesus as Savior.

Jesus knew James on earth, but He also saw beyond the unbelief of James— He saw his potential.

And when the time was right, James became a leader in the Early Church and the Holy Spirit prompted him to write to the local congregation.

Let’s look at two things he wrote about— [A Request] and [a Reminder].

1. A Request

James 5:13–14 NKJV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

God knows the situations we will face in life. Just because we are His followers, it does not mean that we are exempt from difficulties.

It never surprises God when we :

suffer

rejoice

face sickness

Whenever we experiences these, God has a plan.

When one of us face great hardship and distress that causes suffering, God encourages us to pray

When one of us are happy and cheerful, God encourages us to sing and praise

When one of us endures sickness, God has a plan, get the elders of the church to gather together and pray.

We anoint with oil, which in itself does little, but the oil symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the sickness.

Sufferings, celebrations, and sickness NEVER catch God by surprise.

What happens when we are obedient to God’s instructions?

James 5:15–16 NKJV

15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

When we do our part in prayer the Lord will do His part and bring healing!

Then notice a passage— the effective fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.

Or as one translation explains, “for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!”

God knows everything that will happen to us! But He also knows that when we PRAY, He will ANSWER!

So we should bring our requests to Him.

2. A Reminder

James 5:17–18 NKJV

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

To remind the reader of God’s promises, James pointed to a situation in the history of Israel.

There was a time when the nation faced a drought. But God had a plan, the drought was there to get the people’s attention to return to Him in their faithfulness.

To bring about His desired result, He called on Elijah.

First Elijah declared that rain would not come for 3.5 years.

The judgment of God came through a praying person, but the release from God’s judgment came through a praying person.

God instructed Elijah to go to the mountain and pray, nothing happened. IN fact he continued to send his servant to go look for any signs of rain in the skies.

Every time the answer was the same— NOTHING.

Finally, on the seventh time, he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand and that was all Elijah needed to hear. The drought ended.

As surprising as the drought was to people, it did not catch God by surprise.

As surprising as the droughts end was to people, it did not catch God by surprise.

Why? Because NOTHING catches God by surprise.

Close:

When we feel blindsided, God is not.

So what is our aim?

Follow His word— make our requests and remember, He knows EVERYTHING and is ALWAYS there for us.

Yesterday,. I felt that the Lord wanted us to pray for the sick in our service today.

I even had a dream this past week about God’s healing power flowing our sanctuary.

Last night it was my turn to prayer, and Ben was here, so we prayed together. I asked the Lord to heal people in THIS service.

Even with that type of burden, I was still surprised this morning to get a phone call that Susie had a heart attack, but God is not surprised and the way He chooses to heal her will not surprise Him either.

So today, we will follow God’s word and pray for the sick!

Susie

Wayne

Prayer Cloths