Renewed for the Suddenly

Renewed for the Suddenly

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24–25

There has been a theme of renewal and revival surrounding me this summer, and I reflected on the message, “Renewed for What’s Next.”

And that stayed with me.

Because there is something about what’s next that we don’t always consider:

Sometimes what’s next comes suddenly.

A recent prayer focus was, “Lord, keep me standing, rejoicing, and ready for the next chapter.”

The next chapter.

Those words hit differently for me because almost exactly one year ago, I went home to Los Angeles with one plan.

I thought I knew what that trip was going to look like.

But God knew something I didn’t know.

My mother unexpectedly needed surgery, and suddenly, the purpose of my trip changed.

Suddenly, my plans changed.

Suddenly, my responsibilities changed.

Suddenly, I found myself stepping more deeply into the role of caregiver.

That experience would eventually birth a devotion in my book For Those Who Care called “Suddenly: When Life Shifts and Care Finds You.” I knew that without Suddenly, the book would not be complete. It had become part of my journey.

I wrote:

“Sometimes suddenly feels like a plot twist we never wanted. The story was moving one way, and then without warning the page turns and we are in a new chapter.”

That was my suddenly.

And one of the first things I knew to do was call on prayer.

I called my pastor and asked her to pray.

I reached out to one of our elders and asked her to speak my mother’s name aloud on the prayer line.

I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen.

I didn’t know what the days ahead would require.

I didn’t know what this new chapter was going to look like.

But I knew who to call.

I knew I needed God.

And I knew I needed my praying church.

And my church family prayed.

And I knew I needed my Sister Tribe.

And my Sister Tribe prayed.

They prayed in my suddenly.

And now, one year later, I can look back and testify:

GOD KEPT US!!!!

That is why Jude speaks so powerfully to me:

“Now unto Him who is able to keep you...”

Sometimes we concentrate so much on asking God to change the situation that we miss the miracle of how God keeps us in the situation.

God kept me.

God sustained me.

God surrounded me with prayer.

God gave me strength for days I had not anticipated.

And God reminded me that although the suddenly had surprised me, it had not surprised God.

Acts 2:2 says:

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”

I love that Scripture because we often hear suddenly and think something has gone wrong.

Suddenly, there is an emergency.

Suddenly, there is a diagnosis.

Suddenly, there is a phone call.

Suddenly, there is a loss.

Suddenly, plans change.

But Acts reminds us that suddenly can also be the place where God shows up.

Suddenly, the Spirit came.

Suddenly, heaven touched earth.

Suddenly, God filled the room.

So maybe suddenly doesn’t only describe what happens to us.

Suddenly can also describe how God meets us.

And that brings me back to the message that has been sitting with me: Renewed for What’s Next.

What if God hasn’t only been renewing us from what we’ve already been through?

What if God has also been renewing us for what we haven’t seen yet?

We don’t know what next will be.

We don’t know when next will come.

And sometimes next will arrive suddenly.

But we can trust that the God who renews us is already standing in our next.

God can prepare you before you know you need preparation.

God can surround you with community before you know you’re going to need somebody to call.

God can put prayer in your spirit before you know what you’re going to have to pray your way through.

And God can renew you today for a tomorrow you cannot yet see.

But there is something else I have learned about the suddenly.

Even in the suddenly, we can rest without guilt.

Suddenly can make us feel as though we have to keep moving.

Keep fixing.

Keep managing.

Keep checking.

Keep carrying.

Keep doing.

But being renewed for what’s next does not mean exhausting ourselves trying to control what’s next.

Sometimes faith looks like moving.

And sometimes faith looks like resting.

Rest doesn’t mean that we don’t care.

Rest doesn’t mean that we aren’t responsible.

Rest doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped praying.

Rest can be an act of trust.

It is saying, “God, I have done what I can do today. I trust You with what I cannot do. And I trust You enough to close my eyes and rest.”

We can take the nap.

We can sit quietly.

We can step outside and breathe.

We can accept help.

We can put down what does not have to be carried today.

We can rest without guilt because while we rest, God is still God.

So whatever suddenly may come, remember this:

The suddenly may change the plan.

The suddenly may change the circumstances.

The suddenly may change your responsibilities.

The suddenly may even change the chapter.

But the suddenly cannot change God’s presence.

The suddenly may surprise us.

But it never surprises God.

And if suddenly flips the script—

God is still the Author.

We can be renewed for what’s next.

And by the grace of God, we can also be renewed for the suddenly.

A Moment for Reflection

What “suddenly” have you experienced?

As you look back, where can you see the ways God was already preparing, sustaining, surrounding, or renewing you for what you could not yet see?

Grateful,

Rev Sheila