Routine Surprises

“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times … and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”  —2 Kings 5:14

Growing up on a gentleman’s farm, we performed chores morning and evening. We moved onto the farm during Christmas vacation of my first grade year, but I don’t remember how young I was when I began making early morning trips to the barn. We milked two Guernsey cows by hand every morning before school and every evening after supper. Counting twice a day for at least ten years and adding 4 more for leap years meant we milked those cows 7304 times.

Although we often tire of menial chores, God must love routine and repetition. He commanded the priests and Levites to offer two one-year-old lambs every day, one in the morning and the other at twilight, for over 1500 years until Christ came. (Ex. 29:38) He fed the Israelites manna every day for forty years. How often does God expect us to pray: every day, every meal, or every moment?  The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing.” God never tires of hearing our prayers.

This past week, I had the privilege of helping with Vacation Bible School. In the closing on Wednesday night, I reviewed the lesson on faith. After learning about Nicodemus, the children learned the A-B-C method of becoming a Christian: A—admit you are a sinner, B—Believe Jesus is God’s Son and died for your sins, and C—Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The accompanying teaching material described “Admit” as when the time is right and God shows you that you are a sinner. It hit me, no matter how many VBSs you attend or how many times you hear the Good News of Jesus, God the Father must do a work of grace in your heart before you can believe.

So many stories in the Bible speak of doing things over and over until one time something happens that changes everything. Have you ever sought a great message from the Lord only to find the simplest command? Have you done a small deed repeatedly hundreds of times but suddenly this time it’s different. Ordinary acts of obedience done faithfully under the power of the Holy Spirit over time will accomplish much for eternity. The miracle may not happen the first, second, sixth, or six hundredth time, but at God’s perfect time, God acts.

Naaman, a commander of the army of the king of Aram was a leper who went to Elisha the prophet to seek cleansing. Elisha refused to meet with him; but instead, instructed Naaman to wash in the Jordan River seven times. Reluctantly, Naaman washed but was not healed until the seventh time. The scriptures urges us, “Let us not become wearing in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

How many of you are bored to tears over some faithful act of obedience you do regularly? You have not received a fresh insight from God’s Word for months, perhaps years. You have not had a prayer answered for the longest time, maybe forever. Do not give up. Do not grow weary. Continue to walk in obedience and faith. God will show up when you least expect Him. God will act at the just the right time. With faithful routine, comes the surprise of the Holy Spirit. Keep on keeping on for the Lord. Lift your eyes in faith. God may surprise you, and it may be soon.