Do You Suppose?

Have you ever thought something which turned out not to be true?  Expectations and assumptions which seem reasonable can often lead us astray.  A lot of things we think are simply wrong, and God has provided His Word to guide us into all truth.  I was surprised how often supposing and being mistaken correlate in scripture.  It is not always the case, but take a look at some examples:

• The disciples were rowing in the sea and supposed they had seen a spirit when it was in fact Jesus walking on the water (Mark 6:39).
• Joseph and Mary supposed Jesus had left Jerusalem in their company, but He had remained behind in the Temple (Luke 2:44).
• People supposed Jesus was the son of Joseph, but He had been conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary and was the Son of God (Luke 2:23).
• Mary Magdalene supposed Jesus was the gardener when He was her risen LORD (John 20:15).
• Peter corrected the people who supposed the Christians who were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues were drunk (Acts 2:15).
• Stephen related Moses supposed his fellow Hebrews would have understood he had been called by God to deliver them from the Eyptians, but they did not (Acts 7:25).
• The Philippian jailer woke up from sleep, being startled by an earthquake.  He supposed all the prisoners had fled when he saw all the doors open, and would have killed himself had not Paul shouted to say the prisoners had not escaped (Acts 16:27).
• The master of the ship and the centurion supposed they had obtained their purpose to winter in a haven of Crete, only to be driven by a massive tempest and shipwrecked on Malta (Acts 27:13).

Based on these examples, "supposing" obviously has many pitfalls.  We likely all (to some degree) assume and think many things which have no basis in reality.  No matter how much we know of the truth and think things through, assumptions can creep in.  I believe supposing leads to much unnecessary heartache and sorrow only wisdom and discernment from God can deliver us from.  When you discover things are not as you supposed do not lose heart, but seek the LORD and trust in Him.  God never supposes; He always knows.