The Bistro
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Romans 11:33
While on vacation, my husband and I were looking for a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel. We found one right around the corner—a bistro. My husband asked me what a bistro was—he had a vague idea but wanted to be sure it was dinner-worthy.
I googled it and read the definition so he would know what to expect. “A bistro is a small, modest, European-style restaurant or café.” A second source we consulted assured us it would be a simple, inexpensive meal in a casual, inviting atmosphere. It sounded perfect.
“Do you have ze reservation, sir?” we were asked at the door. When they found out we didn’t (and I could see behind him that there were plenty of open tables), his eyes narrowed just slightly. He briefly looked around the room, then showed us to a table and set two very tall menus on the table facing each of us. We thanked him and he disappeared.
We saw that this bistro served French cuisine. We also saw that there was were only two things on the menu that we could identify. After reading all the interesting-sounding French food words, we went with the two safe identifiable items. I ordered a burger (made of bison and pork, which came with “lamb fat potato wedges”) and my husband ordered the Wagyu beef plate. We knew the Wagyu plate would be expensive as we’ve seen the price of it at Costco. We had no beverages with it, just water. The bill came to nearly $80! My burger was large, but the Wagyu was a tiny portion with about five slices of half-dollar sized bites, a few fancy greens, and a little drizzle of something.
I’m not complaining about the food, and not even about the price (although admittedly we have come to expect far more for that kind of money.) What struck us was that all the things we expected from the definition of “bistro” were nowhere in sight. We expected wraps and fries, not bison and Wagyu. We expected a simple, inexpensive meal, not a waiter dressed in white with a towel draped over his arm. We expected casual and inviting, not reservations and frowns. We expected comfort, but nothing about that experience was comfortable.
We are simple folks—maybe too simple to appreciate this “bistro.” We got something we didn’t expect, that’s all. And don’t we do this with God? We expect Him to act in a certain way. We expect Him to answer our prayers as we wish. We expect Him to provide for our wants as well as our needs. How do we handle it when He acts in a way we didn’t expect? Do we pout or get depressed? Do we blab our grievances to others? Do we try to get what we want another way?
Thankfully, God is not bound by our expectations. His plans are better and bigger. His ways are not going to be what we expect—and that’s a very good thing.
Father, Your ways are unexpected. If we could predict You, You wouldn’t be God. So lead us in your great big, wonderful, unexpected plan. We look forward to it!