May 28 The Irony of God
May 28
The Irony of God
“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
—Zechariah 4:6
The dictionary defines irony as “a combination of circumstances that is the opposite of what might be expected.” God specializes in irony. I was reminded of that when I was invited to speak at Billy Graham’s Mission in Moscow.
It was Sunday afternoon at the Olympic Stadium. Ken and I, along with my Russian interpreter, were seated on the front row of the Mission platform. We watched as 70,000 people tried to enter the 35,000-seat stadium to hear the Gospel. My interpreter, a young blind student named Oleg, was able to grasp it all as I leaned over and described to him the incredible scene before us. People were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisles and on the stairs. He couldn’t see, but he felt the excitement.
Just before I moved to the microphone, Oleg said to me, “I can hardly believe that God has picked you, a paralyzed woman, and me, a blind young man, to give His gospel to my countrymen in this stadium. It’s amazing!”
More than that, it was ironic. Oh, the irony of God that He would choose to voice His message to a nation, not through the powerful or the mighty but through a most unlikely twosome. A paralyzed woman. A blind young man.
God delights in showing us His power through weak and unlikely people. He specializes in irony, always choosing a combination of circumstances opposite to what one might expect in order to get the job done. There are plenty of ironies in your life, and each one is a reason to give God praise. His power always is best displayed through weakness.
Mighty and Powerful Lord, I praise You for the marvelous way You accomplish Your purposes. You always seem to do the opposite of what people expect and You surprise us with Your mysterious, awesome ways.