God Isn’t Surprised by How Your Day Will Go

This morning did not go how I wanted.

I mean really, the whole night beforehand didn’t either.

By the time my alarm went off at 6:45am, I had gotten about 5 hours of sleep…and they were not in a row.

Babies are hard and my son wouldn’t stay back asleep after I nursed him. It was one of those nights where I felt like I tried everything and couldn’t win.

My sister-in-law came over to help with the kids and I was hopeful about taking a nap while she was here.

But then both kids were crying or asking for me (which I can hear from my bedroom) so we all snuggled in bed for a little bit.

Eventually it was time for the baby’s first nap, so I thought maybe I could get a nap in then.

But that didn’t happen either. After 45 min of crying and check-ins, I nursed him to sleep. 

And then I just held him and rocked while he slept. He twitched in that way little babies do, so I worried he would wake up again if I tried to put him back in his crib.

Maybe I should’ve tried anyway. But instead I decided to trust that God wasn’t surprised by how my morning turned out.

To trust that maybe this was where God meant for me to be today.

To give my son what he wanted: me.

And to let him rest, safe, warm, comfortable, content in my arms.

I was surprised and frustrated by how my morning went. But God wasn’t.

I tried everything I could think of to help my baby sleep because I didn’t know what he needed. But God did.

God isn’t surprised.

Like, ever. There’s nothing we (or our adorable-and-sometimes-overwhelming kids) can do that makes him think, “Huh. That wasn’t what I was expecting.” He already knows all the outcomes. All the choices we will make, he has already seen.

He knows the day my son will finally sleep through the night. And the day I will meet Jesus.

Psalm 139 tells us that God knows every move we will make (v. 2), every word we will speak (v. 4), and every part of who we are (v. 13-16). He isn’t surprised by what we will do. Or by how many times my baby is going to wake up tonight. He already knows.

And still, this incredible, all-knowing, steadfast God chooses to make himself known to us.

How can my inconveniences compare with this truth? The short answer is, they can’t. In fact, nothing compares.

So today, join me in reminding our hearts of the deep, steadfast love of our Father. The one who already knows. The God who isn’t surprised. The one who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Preach this to yourself today. Pray these verses over your anxious thoughts. Remind those anxious thoughts who is really in control. Let’s read from Isaiah 40 together.

God isn’t surprised, dear friend. He knows how your day will go, and he will walk with you through it.

Susannah