This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Goddess Fish
Promotions. S. Jeyran Main will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card
to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on
the tour.
God's
Surprising Way: The Path to Lasting Joy, Healing, and Love guides readers into
the upside-down kingdom of God, where human expectations are consistently
overturned. In this transformative journey, the humble are exalted, the last
are lifted, and true greatness is found through servanthood, surrender, and sacrificial
love. Through Scripture, theological insights, and historical reflections-from
Augustine and Luther to Bonhoeffer and Nouwen-readers discover how God's
surprising ways cultivate lasting joy, deep healing, and authentic love.
Each chapter explores a distinct paradox of the gospel,
demonstrating how humility, generosity, and obedience can transform
relationships, communities, and personal faith. Practical reflections and
prompts invite readers to integrate these principles into daily life-choosing
forgiveness over resentment, service over recognition, and trust over
control.
With accessible scholarship, devotional insight, and
concrete application, this book reveals the practical power of God's reversals.
It challenges conventional assumptions about success, power, and happiness,
inviting believers to live counterculturally in alignment with Christ's
teachings. God's Surprising Way is both an invitation and a roadmap: to
encounter God's transformative presence, embody the values of the Kingdom, and
experience joy, healing, and love that endure.
Read an Excerpt
Christianity begins with surprise! From the moment the Word
became flesh, God has been showing us that His ways are not our ways. He made
incarnate the Savior, not in a palace but in a stable. He was welcomed by
shepherds first, the lowly, marginalized outcasts of society (Luke 2:8–12).
Jesus continued to reverse our expectations throughout his life. He taught
everyone that the last would be first, and the first last (Matthew 20:16), that
the meek would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), and that greatness was about
servanthood, not privilege or authority (Matthew 20:26–27). Everywhere he went,
the crowds were astonished—they were forced to recalibrate their understanding
of power, privilege, and God’s blessing.
This reversibility, what some have called the upside-down
kingdom, is key to understanding the surprising way of God. Where we see
strength, control, and recognition, He delights in lifting the humble, exalting
the meek, and blessing the poor in spirit. This is what Augustine means when he
observes, “In the wisdom of God, they are overturned, and what seemed to be
less is more weighty than it seemed in the world” (Augustine 1998, 54). This is
often the counterfactual logic of the kingdom: surrender as a means of power,
weakness as a source of strength, and service as a path to
greatness.
The scriptures are replete with examples of reversibility.
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, and ultimately rules nations and
saves them from famine (Genesis 50:20). David, the youngest and least regarded
son of Jesse, becomes the greatest king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:11–13). The
disciples, though zealously devoted to Jesus, have to learn that glory comes
through humility, self-denial, and love for others (Mark 10:42–45). Jesus
Himself modelled the supreme example; the Son of God, made majesty incarnate,
suffers and dies, allowing defeat to become eternal
victory.
Inviting us into the upside-down kingdom is more than a
theological concept; it also shapes how we perceive our lives today. Our human
assumptions—about success, happiness, and significance—are misguided. While
learning to honour God’s surprising way, we see that consideration for a
fleeting bit of favour from others gives way to joy, that surrender to God’s
will yields health, and that loving others sacrificially through humble service
changes relationships.
The upside-down kingdom is an invitation to see the world
through God’s eyes—a way to fulfill what Jesus says; a way where “the last are
first,” the “lowly are received” and “the hidden thing of love and service” is
of eternal weight. The Paradox of Joy, Healing, and Love
In the upside-down kingdom, joy, healing, and love often
appear to be contrary to human expectations. True joy is not the product of
achievement, recognition, or comfort; healing is not always immediate; and love
is rarely transactional. Instead, the Christian life invites believers into a
paradox: the more we surrender, serve, and humble ourselves, the more these
blessings flow into our lives.
About the Author:Jeyran
Main has spent years immersed in the world of books as an editor and publisher.
She is the author of The Radical Realism of Jesus: A Framework for Living in
the 21st Century and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Living in the Light of the
Cross magazine. Through her platform, HeavenlyHarmonyHub.com, she provides
resources that encourage thoughtful engagement with faith. Guided by a passion
for seeking truth, Jeyran explores how God’s counterintuitive Kingdom wisdom
overturns human expectations and invites readers into a life marked by joy,
healing, generosity, and love.
https://jeyranmain.com/gods-surprising-way/
