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. 

Surprise Ending

by Tim Howard

Have you ever read a verse from the Bible only to have the words jump off the page and prick your heart? Well that’s what happened to me on April 21 – the day after Easter celebration– as I read Acts 1:3. It says: “After the suffering and death of Jesus, he presented himself to the people and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

The people witnessing the passion week of Christ – including the 12 disciples and close friends – felt the crucifixion was the demise of Jesus. But they were in for a surprise! Just when they thought it was all over – just when they concluded there was no hope – just when the words “The End” shouted loudly in their ears and minds – Jesus revealed himself! In other passages of scripture we are told He revealed Himself to not only a few but to over 500 people during a 40-day period.

Imagine Moses who was one of the greatest leaders in history. He led his nation to freedom but along the way, he confronted a sea. With the Red Sea in front of him, enemy soldiers behind him and two mountain ranges on each side – there was no place to run. Surely the words “The End’ came to his mind.

Think about Abraham and Sarah who desperately wanted a child and were promised they would have one. In their old age they surely thought it would never happen. They too, must have heard the words “The End”.

When I was sixteen years old my mother became very ill.  A year later she had passed on. That was a difficult season for the whole family and especially hard for a teenager like myself.  Even though the doctors did everything within their power, they confronted a battle that they would eventually lose in the physical realm. She died in the year of 1969 at the age of 53 years.
                                         
When death happens, a myriad of emotions make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster.  At times you experience deep pain because of the loss but then, out of nowhere, a sense of great joy may arise because you realize how special that person has been to you personally.

Even in death God has a surprise. For those who believe in Him, physical death is not the end but THE BEGINNING of a new season with God. Death is a fact of life but there can be a surprise ending!

Maybe that’s why Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Don’t be troubled (afraid).  You trust God, now trust in me.  There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.  If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Simply stated, you don’t need to be troubled or ruled by fear when everything around you screams it’s ‘The End.’  Why?  Jesus has prepared a surprise ending. God has a plan for you and it is a good plan.  From God’s perspective, the end is really an opportunity for a new beginning.

Maybe you are at a point in life where everything looks dark and the future is bleak. Possibly you have felt this could be the end for you. If I could be so bold – may I suggest there might be a Surprise ending in store for you?