Expect the Unexpected

“He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,
She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.”
‭‭John‬ ‭20:5-6, 12, 18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In John’s account of the Resurrection of Jesus, the experiences of the first to arrive at the empty tomb couldn’t have been more different. Peter and John saw an empty tomb. Mary saw a vision of angels. And the differences continue afterwards – the men return to their lodgings, Mary hangs around and sees the risen Jesus.

I don’t believe for a minute that women are more spiritually sensitive than men, though that may be the case sometimes. But I’m sure there’s something in these experiences of the early disciples that apply today to us all. Perhaps we should all be more diligent in expecting the unexpected. What do we expect when we pray or read the Bible? What do we expect when we meet together as a community of faith? You never know – the Holy Spirit might show up in a totally unexpected way if we wait in His presence. We might even find an angel or two next to us or in our midst. Or even the risen Jesus. We must never rule out what God can do in response to our prayers, within our seemingly ordinary life experiences. He is the God of the unexpected.