Weekly Devotional - Marissa Lee

When God Comes Close in Unexpected Ways

Sometimes we picture God’s activity like a neatly ordered calendar: He’ll move here, answer there, show up right on time according to our carefully highlighted expectations. But very often, God’s presence arrives in ways that feel upside-down to us. Israel expected a warrior king. Heaven sent a carpenter’s son. They wanted a throne; God offered a cross. And still today, we often want solutions while God offers transformation.

If we’re honest, most of us carry quiet expectations about how God should work — how a prayer should be answered, how a relationship should be fixed, how a season should unfold. And when things don’t go according to our inner script, we wonder if God is distant. But what if He’s closer than we think, simply working in a way we didn’t anticipate?

The invitation of Jesus is simple and freeing: shift your mind, soften your grip, and notice the God who is already moving. Repentance isn’t just turning away from sin; it’s turning toward a new way of seeing. It’s trading our narrow perspective for His steady one. It’s letting Him rewrite our expectations so we don’t miss the beauty of His presence right in front of us.

God is not late. God is not silent. He is forming something in you — and sometimes the most sacred moments are the ones that don’t fit the picture we imagined.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Reflection Question
Where might your assumptions about how God should move be keeping you from recognizing how He is moving?

Prayer
Lord, reshape my thinking so I can see You clearly. Loosen my expectations, steady my heart, and help me recognize Your presence in every unexpected place. Lead me into Your way of seeing, trusting that Your plans are always good. Amen.

-Marissa