Surprise Endings!

by Tim Howard

I can’t remember the first movie I ever saw on the big screen but I do recall the kind of movie I enjoyed as a kid. There had to be lots of action, a lot of suspense and a superhero was indispensable. You know the kind I mean! The ones when everything looks hopeless – evil is winning – darkness is setting in and the end is surely near!

Then out of the blue, a superhero appears! Maybe it’s Iron Man, Super Girl, Spiderman or Superman – But they show up just in the nick of time to defeat the opposing forces and free the people. I loved that kind of movie because they always have a surprise ending and conclude on a positive note. I like the stories that have a:  ‘They lived happily after’ ending!

I’ve been reading some of the great stories in the Bible that have surprise ending. The author of a New Testament book called Hebrews, documents a few of those stories in Chapter 11. 

He says: By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.         

     

By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. As a result: He became one of the greatest leaders of all time.

Consider Abraham’s wife – Sarah. She gave birth to a son at 90 years old – Surprise!”         

Jonah should have been dead after being in the whale for three days but God turned everything around. What are the chances of a teenager named David surviving a fight with a well-seasoned warrior, who happened to be gigantic – His name was Goliath? Take Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den – The three Hebrew boys who were put into the furnace – Gideon who fought thousands of warriors with only 300 men or Jesus who was crucified and put in a grave! All of these mentioned – had a surprise ending!

The Apostle Paul paints a picture of a bright future for all those who put their trust in God. He assures believers that they may be knocked down but they will not be knocked out. They may be persecuted but they will not be forsaken. They will overcome the obstacles they confront and the current difficulties of life. As they go through the valley and shadow of death they need not fear any evil because a Surprise Ending is waiting!

Even though superheroes and Santa Claus don’t really exist, there is a Savior who is willing and able to turn your life around.  Jesus is more than a superhero – He is supernatural!

When He comes upon the wreckage of our lives, in the natural realm, things are altered.  It doesn’t matter how broken, bruised or devastated you are – you don’t need to give ‘up’ but you do need to give ‘in’ to Him by yielding to His directives.

Your future doesn’t need to be bleak because Jesus has a Surprise Ending in store for those who call out to Him.