This faith question has been around for a long time. It is a shortened version of the question, “If God knows everything, including the future, then is it possible for God to be surprised by anything?”

In my last article, I suggested that God’s character defines Him more than His super-abilities. What is God’s character? God is holy, just, love, life, and light. His character is good — good beyond anything we can understand. While He has super-abilities (all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present), God’s good character defines how those abilities are used.

Friends, none of us wants to be defined by our abilities. For example, if you’re married, you have the ability to commit adultery. If you own a gun, you have the ability to commit murder. If you have money, you have the ability to squander it. If you have children, you have the ability to abuse them.

While we may have those abilities, we do not act on them because our good character won’t allow it. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather be defined by my good character than by my abilities.

So, can God be surprised? The answer is yes—if He chooses to be. That answer leads us to another faith question: Why would God want to be surprised? We can find the answer to that question in one amazing word: love.

Love requires freedom in the giving and freedom in the receiving. Love cannot be manipulated or coerced. It cannot be demanded or taken. It cannot be bought or sold. Love can be encouraged and nurtured, but it cannot be forced. Love can only be freely given and freely received. Before reading any further, take a moment to think about the connection between love and freedom.

In Matthew 10:8, Jesus affirms the connection between love and freedom. As He prepares His disciples to serve in ministry, He gives this direction: “Freely you have received; freely give.” He cautions them that some people will receive their message—and others will reject it. The giver is not in control of the outcome. The giver gives, nurtures, pursues, and overcomes, but the rest is up to the receiver. Freedom is the required element in love.

God loves you. He created you to spend all of eternity with you. He has meaning and purpose for your life. He is relentlessly seeking you. To overcome insurmountable obstacles, He gave the greatest gift He could give — the life of His one and only Son. He sent His Holy Spirit to awaken you and to help you understand. He prepared this article just for you, and He put it in front of you so you could see it. He has brought people into your life who are praying for you and encouraging you. He has made a way. He has done what He can do. The rest is up to you.

The point is this: Love requires freedom. God has given you that freedom. God will not force you. He has freely given of His love; you must freely receive it. When you do, God is surprised by joy!

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three beautiful stories: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In each story, there is great rejoicing when the lost is found. Why? Because being found was not a foregone conclusion — it was a surprise!

When we freely accept God’s love and grace, the surprise causes great celebration in heaven! And the reason we celebrate is because our hopeless lives have been bought back by our God, who freely chose to love us through Jesus Christ. Sin and the tomb have been defeated, and holiness and heaven have been restored! We rejoice! Hallelujah! God has surprised us — and it would seem that we have surprised Him! Such is the majesty of love freely given and received! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Read Zephaniah 3:9-17. It provides a powerful description of God’s rejoicing. The passage concludes with God giving this celebratory declaration, The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.

God is inviting us into His love. He made us for it, to know it, to experience it, to live freely in it, both now and forever. He invites; He does not demand or force. We must choose. Sin has devastated us and left us hopeless. But God, who loves us so much, has made a way for us through Jesus Christ and the awakening grace of His Holy Spirit. He has freely given of His love — will you freely receive it? He is eager to be surprised by your reply — just as a father is eager to be surprised by the return of his lost child.

Listen as Jesus describes how God feels about you, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24