Finding God’s Strength in Unexpected Places | Mike Teixeira

• Canoeing the Mountains by Todd Bolsinger

Question…

What do you do when you find yourself in an unexpected place?

Big Idea:

“When the unexpected touches our life, it just means God’s strength is about to show up in a BIG way!”

Psalm 139:10 (NLT)

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.

3 ways God uses unexpected places to grow our strength…

Unexpected places are…

1. Where our is forged and formed

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)

6“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So that when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

Psalm 18:33

³³ He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

2. Where we learn to that God is in control of what’s out of our control

Isaiah 40:25-31 (NLT)

²⁵ “To whom will you compare me?
    Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

²⁶ Look up into the heavens.
    Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
    calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
    not a single one is missing.

²⁷ O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
    O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?

²⁸ Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹ He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

3. Where we grow in deeper with God

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NLT)

7 So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Psalm 23:4
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;

Unexpected places are…

1. Where our faith is forged and formed

2. Where we learn to trust that God is in control of what’s out of our control

3. Where we grow deeper in intimacy with God

“When the unexpected touches our life, it just means God’s strength is about to show up in a BIG way!”