There are many wonderful things that we can say about God.
One of the things is that God is the God of surprises.
Of course we would like to think that it is of unexpected pleasant surprises.
In the 1st reading, what Cyrus king of Persia did was quite unexpected, at least to the Israelites.
The Israelites were in exile in Babylon and it was Cyrus who brought about the end of the Babylonian empire.
For the Israelites, it was just a matter of a change of masters, as they would not expect any liberation from the new ruler.
So it was truly an unexpected and wonderful surprise that king Cyrus allowed the Israelites to go back to their homeland and even to rebuild the Temple.
But it was actually in God's plan, as the 1st reading says it was to fulfil the word of the Lord that was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah.
As for us, God also has a plan for each of us. God's plan is always wonderful and for our good.
We only need to expect the unexpected and give thanks and trust in the Lord's ways.