A while ago, my husband Kenya was returning home from the office. He told me he was sitting at an intersection just a few blocks away from our street when a woman ran a red light. Before she ran through it, Kenya had observed that she wasn’t slowing down at all, even after his light turned green and hers was red.

He was confused at first. He looked at the traffic light again to make sure he wasn’t mistaken about its color. Maybe his was red and hers was green because she was going so fast. But no, he was right. She was in the wrong. However, the driver didn’t believe she was at fault when she zoomed through the stop light.

After Kenya pumped his brakes and avoided a collision, she actually honked her horn at him, as if he had run the light. Moments later, Kenya saw flashing lights and noticed a police vehicle pursuing the driver. She was in trouble.

While watching this unfold, Kenya said he was thinking, thank You God!  She was traveling at such a high velocity that, if she had hit him, his vehicle would have been totaled and he could have been seriously injured—or worse. Kenya told me, "My momma always said, 'when you drive, you don’t just pay attention to the lights; you pay attention to the people, because people don’t always do what they’re supposed to do.’”

That’s so true. I have learned this lesson in driving and in life. People often fail to behave the way we expect them to. They switch up on us. Sometimes they come out of left field and do something that shocks us. They make mistakes, disappoint us, don’t keep their word, act selfishly and sometimes, outright betray or attack us.

This morning I was reading the story of Absalom who rose up against his father David. Absalom killed his brother Amnon in 2 Samuel 13 for raping their sister Tamar. Then, after committing murder, he ran away to a place called Geshur and stayed there for three whole years. Eventually, David reunited with his wayward son, but it wasn’t a happy reunion. Absalom’s heart was impure. He was ambitious. He wanted to be king. He wanted to be in his father David’s place. Instead of being grateful to David for restoring him, Absalom came up with a plan to position himself as king.

It seems shocking that a son would treat his father this way. One of my friends has a saying and it goes, “Everybody that’s your blood isn’t your family.” Can the church say amen on that? She explains by saying some people are relatives, but they don’t have genuine love for you. They don’t wish you well.

2 Samuel 18 shows us a perfect example of that. Things got so bad between David and Absalom that the two went to war against each other. Ironically, in Hebrew, Absalom’s name means “Father of peace,” but he certainly didn’t live up to his name!

What a shock. David was fighting a surprise battle. It was an unexpected situation in his life, sort of like the unexpected situations that creep up on you when things take a turn for the worst.

You might be in a surprise battle in your health, in your finances, in your relationships, in your ministry, in your emotions.

Predicaments you never thought you’d be in, you find yourself in. Things you thought would never happen to you, happen to you. Things you never imagine someone would actually do to you, particularly you someone you trusted, they did that and then some. It feels bad, I know. But here’s the good part: though it may be a surprise to you, it is not a surprise to God. He already has a plan for you to be victorious, whole, renewed, restored and blessed beyond measure.

Think about David’s situation. He looked like he was going down. Absalom had turned a lot of people against David. And David had made some mistakes in his life that brought on God’s judgement, but, we cannot forget that he was still God’s anointed and God fought for David. Absalom did not have authorization from Heaven to take the throne from David.

You see, God had a covenant with David, which was prophesied through a prophet named Nathan (See 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17:11–14 and 2 Chronicles 6:16). This unconditional divine covenant said that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would come through the lineage of David, and the tribe of Judah, and would establish a Kingdom that would never end.

So Absalom wasn’t coming against David. He was coming against the sovereign will of God! He was fighting a losing battle, because He was fighting against the Lord. Absalom lost his life in this ill-fated war.

Here’s how it happened. One day, while he was riding on his mule during the war he started with David, the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. That’s when Absalom’s head got caught in the oak, leaving him hanging, while the mule that was under him kept running. Absalom died there.

Though it was a sad ending to Absalom’s troubled life, there is a lesson to be learned from it: the enemy’s sneak attack, surprise ambush, and sucker punch won’t work on you. Whatever you’re going through right now, however the battle has manifested in your life, know this: God is stepping in.

You might not have seen this attack coming. Perhaps you were unaware that it would get this bad, but God knew it in advance. He already made plans. He loves showing up for you, His servant. He’s looking for ways to bless you; to defend you; to be your refuge; to be your present help; to be your strong tower; to be your joy in sorrow; to favor you.

To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring a portion of 2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV into your cup of inspiration, which says, "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, know that God, from whom nothing is ever hidden (Hebrews 4:13) sees the predicament you’re going through. He knew your journey would lead you here before you got here. It’s no surprise to him. His plan to deliver and bless you greatly is already in motion.

Be encouraged.

Now let’s pray.

God, I have been facing some difficult twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Some days, I really don’t know how I will make it through and I feel ambushed by life. But I know You are with me. Thank You for reminding me that You already have a plan in place, and in motion, to bring me out. So I thank You in advance for the deliverance that is predestined for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!