When Life Surprises You: Finding Stability in an Unstable World

When Life Surprises You: Finding Stability in an Unstable World

Life has a way of catching us off guard. A phone call we never expected. A diagnosis that changes everything. A betrayal from someone we trusted. A door that slams shut when we were certain it would open. We've all experienced those moments when the ground beneath our feet seems to shift, leaving us disoriented and uncertain.

But what if I told you that while life may surprise us, there is One who is never caught off guard? What if the very things that shake us to our core are already known, already planned for, already worked into a greater purpose we cannot yet see?

The God Who Cannot Be Surprised

In John 13, we witness one of the most troubling scenes in Scripture. Jesus sits with His twelve disciples—men who have walked with Him for three and a half years, shared meals, performed miracles, faced opposition together. They've built deep bonds of friendship and ministry. And then Jesus drops devastating news: "One of you will betray me."

The disciples are stunned. They look at one another, bewildered, asking, "Is it me, Lord?" They had no idea. There were no warning signs that Judas was a traitor. But Jesus knew. He had always known.

This reveals something profound about the nature of God: nothing can surprise Him.

We cannot relate to this reality. Our lives are filled with surprises—some wonderful, many difficult. Things happen to us constantly that we didn't see coming, and we have to respond or react. But God never experiences this. Nothing "happens" to God that He must react to. He never has a moment where the light suddenly dawns. He never gathers His angels and says, "I didn't expect that—what should we do?"

Isaiah 46:9-10 declares this truth powerfully: "I am God, and there is no other... declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done." God already knows the end from the very beginning. He is sovereign over every detail of not just the known universe, but the unknown universe as well.

This means there is nothing about your life that surprises God. Not your past mistakes. Not your current struggles. Not your future failures. Before you were born, God knew every sin you would commit, every wrong turn you would take, every disappointment you would face. And even while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you.

When life feels out of control, we can find peace in knowing that Jesus is in control. When life puts us under, we must remember that Jesus walked on water—everything that's over us is under Him.

The God Who Cannot Be Stopped

But Jesus doesn't just know what's coming—He has a plan that cannot be derailed.

Notice what happens in the middle of this betrayal announcement. Jesus shifts gears and reminds His disciples: "He who receives whomever I send receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me." In other words: Don't let this news distract you from the mission.

Yes, one of you is a traitor. Yes, this is devastating. But that does not stop the mission I've given you.

This is a powerful lesson for us. We cannot control what happens to us or what people around us do. Your children may make choices that break your heart. Your spouse may disappoint you. Friends may betray you. Leaders may fall. Circumstances may devastate you.

But we cannot let these things cause us to lose sight of our purpose.

Throughout Scripture, we see God redirecting His servants from their grief back to the mission. When Samuel was mourning over Saul's failure, God said, "How long will you mourn? Fill your horn with oil and go—I have work for you to do." When Elijah was depressed under a juniper tree, ready to give up, God said, "Get up—there are kings to anoint and a prophet to train."

We live in a culture that encourages us to stay under our pain, to process endlessly, to make our trauma our identity. But while it's appropriate to grieve, to feel, to process, we cannot set up camp there. God's purpose is greater than our pain.

The current environment around us may be filled with betrayal, emotional turmoil, and confusion. We may feel deeply disturbed, shaken to the core, utterly at a loss for what to do. But even in the midst of all that, the mission must continue.

Nothing can stop God's plan. Not betrayal. Not disappointment. Not fallen leaders. Not satanic opposition. Not cultural darkness. Not human failure.

Acts 5:38-39 puts it this way: "If this plan is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it."

The God Who Cannot Be Stumped

When the disciples were confused about who would betray Jesus, Peter motioned to John, who was leaning on Jesus' chest, and said, "Ask Him who it is." And John did exactly that.

Here's a profound truth: Jesus has the answers to life's greatest questions. There is no question you can ask that can stump Him. There is nothing you can bring to Him that He doesn't have an answer for.

But we have to be willing to ask. And we have to be asking the right questions.

Are you asking: "Lord, am I saved?" "What is Your purpose for my life?" "Where would You have me serve?" "Is there any sin in my life You want to reveal?"

James 4:4 reminds us: "You have not because you do not ask."

God is willing to answer, but we must be willing to ask. We must lean on Him, not on our own understanding, not on human wisdom, not on the latest podcast or the newest self-help strategy.

Leaning on Jesus

The image of John leaning on Jesus' chest is beautiful and instructive. In the midst of confusion, betrayal, and uncertainty, John was physically leaning on Jesus. He was close enough to ask questions. Close enough to hear the answer.

That's where we need to be.

Proverbs 3:5-6 instructs us: "Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him."

When life surprises you—and it will—lean on the One who cannot be surprised.

When obstacles seem insurmountable—and they will—lean on the One who cannot be stopped.

When questions overwhelm you—and they will—lean on the One who cannot be stumped.

Jesus is the only stability in this unstable world. He is the Rock when everything else is shifting sand. He is the Anchor when the storms rage. He is the Way when we cannot see the path forward.

The same Jesus who knew Judas would betray Him before it happened, who continued the mission despite the betrayal, and who answered the disciples' questions with perfect wisdom—that Jesus invites you to lean on Him today.

Whatever you're facing, whatever has surprised or shocked you, whatever feels out of control—bring it to Jesus. He already knows. He's already made a way. And He's waiting for you to ask.