Open Your Ears to the Unexpected
Aren’t we all drawn to the unusual? It sparks our interest. Our minds are wired for rational thought, and we often treat the irrational as escapism - an imaginative detour into a place we can’t remain.
I’ve been listening to a podcast by Justin Brierley called The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God. One of the reasons for this renewed interest in faith is what many describe as the death of New Atheism.
This movement, which gained prominence about 20 years ago, was led by thinkers such as Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. Dawkins’ controversial book The God Delusion was built on the famous claim by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “God is dead.” Though Nietzsche was undoubtedly brilliant, his life ended in mental collapse, dying insane at the age of 55.
When you remove God from the equation, what takes His place?
New Atheism left behind a void, one that didn’t satisfy the human longing for meaning and purpose. Many are now realising that they feel unfulfilled. There has to be more.
I remember the thought that hit me as I watched my friend’s coffin being carried down the church aisle by his teenage sons:
“There must be more to life than this - otherwise, what’s the point? You're born, you live, you die.”
That moment began my spiritual journey.
Within a year, I went from unbelief to faith.
It was an encounter with the unexpected. There was no audible voice, but something had been awakened within me. Before that moment, I thought I had life all figured out - but that was a self-made illusion.
You might look out at a calm ocean and assume it’s still. But launch a small boat into it, and you quickly realise there’s a powerful groundswell moving beneath the surface. You’re being carried, moved by something you didn’t notice at first.
The shalom (peace) of God is like that.
It’s not something our secular world can provide. True peace, the kind that anchors you, comes only when we make peace with God.
So what does that peace feel like?
At my friend’s funeral, we sang the hymn Will Your Anchor Hold in the Storms of Life. That image of the anchor stayed with me. For me, the peace of God is that anchor. Life still swings me back and forth through hardship, sorrow, and uncertainty. My heart takes a battering when I see human suffering. But the peace of God holds me fast. I may drift, but I know - He will never let me go.
That’s the kind of peace that can be found in church.
You might think it’s just a series of religious rituals - singing psalms, reading Scripture, praying, listening to a sermon. And yes, it may feel strange if you’re not used to it. But what matters is the presence of God, through His Spirit, connecting with your spirit.
There’s a movement you didn’t even realise was there.
Perhaps something dormant within you is stirred. A seed of faith that just needs to be fed, watered, and brought into the light. The light of the Gospel. The good news that:
God is real.
He is interested in you.
He loves you.
Grace, mercy, and forgiveness are available to you through Jesus Christ.
In my experience, there is no end to spiritual growth. Just when you think you’ve arrived, God reveals there’s more. More to learn. More to experience. And one of the ways He does that… is through the unexpected.
Did you expect to find peace when you came to church?
Recently, I had an intense spiritual experience during a pastoral visit. As we prayed, the presence of God was so tangible that it caught me completely by surprise. The room felt charged, I could barely speak. I’m still processing what happened, but I know this much: God was present. He was active. He was at work.
These are the moments when we rest in the knowledge that the Almighty hears us, sees us, and holds the future.
So, let’s open our ears to the unexpected,
and open our minds to what isn’t always rational
to what cannot be explained away
to the power of the Holy Spirit.
