Well, I Wasn’t Expecting That!
by Andy Taylor
For most of us, Christmas Day concludes many weeks of anticipation. Excitement gains momentum as we consider seeing family and friends, having time off work, snow (we can dream in the Northwest of England), delicious food, and gifts from loved ones. As Christians we enjoy all of this while treasuring the most beautiful thing about Christmas – that Jesus came to save us, to be with us, and to restore us to the Father.
But think a moment about the original Christmas Day. Jesus was born in a 1-star AirBnB in a small town called Bethlehem in Israel. There was no fanfare among the people and no national celebration. No-one knew what was going on apart from Mary and Joseph and a few shepherds.
The nation was praying for their Messiah to come, but never in their wildest dreams would they have expected Him to come the way He did. Many will have been praying on the day He was actually born, without knowing that their prayer was already answered!
It wasn’t expected. No-one guessed how it would work out. And that is exactly how God seems to like it. He tells us that His ways aren’t our ways and that we don’t get it. But just because we don’t get it, doesn’t mean that He’s not at work. He is at work, and His plans will be fulfilled – just not always how we expect them to be.
As we thank God today for His immense generosity and gift of life, let’s keep asking and trusting that, even though we don’t always see the obvious, He is at work. Let’s trust Him to do things His way and in His time. He is good and He is faithful.
On behalf of all the Ellel teams around the world, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic 2026.
Andy Taylor is Director of Ellel Grange, UK National Director and is a member of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries. He joined the team in 1991 and has served the Lord at Ellel Ministries centres in the UK, Australia and the USA. Andy is married to Cath and they have three boys.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
