DIVINE INTERRUPTIONS
By: C. Mason Davis
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
You're going make it through, and God’s going make it for you. All the glory will go to Him when we get home, home to heaven. We’ll be giddy with happiness, but we won't be able to have any bragging rights. Heaven isn’t a place for narcissism. If you’re lucky enough to make it into your elder years before you’re called to heaven, it’s because He has a much higher purpose for you for while you’re here on earth, or He’s still waiting for you to get “it.” I've been so blessed because I'm entering my senior years, and I'm still excited about living. But you know you're getting old when some kid looks at you and says, “You look like that old man in the ‘Up’ movie.” Just know that before you get into heaven, you’ve got work to do. You have expectations to fill even though there are going to be a lot of interruptions that might keep you from succeeding in these expectations throughout your whole life. But this is where having faith in God comes in real handy at times.
When I speak about divine interruptions, I’m not talking about divine intervention. They are alike in some ways, but they are not the same thing. For example, for a writer, there is a direct correlation between having writer’s block and divine interruptions. So, what is divine interruption? Some believe that divine interruptions are unpredictable events in life that are part of God's plan. They can be a way for God to speak to us, lead us in a new direction, or give us a new purpose. They can also be a way for God to wake us up to what's around us, and to see that there's more to do than our daily tasks. Divine intervention is when God actively changes a situation in human affairs. It can also refer to any event that seems miraculous.
Divine interruptions can come in many forms, including:
• Unplanned delays: God may use these to slow us down and help us align with his timing.
• Events or circumstances: These can redirect us onto a different path than the one we were on. For example, God interrupted Jonah's life of comfort by commanding him to leave his country and preach to an enemy.
• Challenges: God may interrupt our plans to reveal our fears, worries, and insecurities.
Some say that divine interruptions are a blessing and a gift of grace, and that we should welcome them. They believe that we can handle them differently and await them eagerly if we believe they are a privilege.
I’ve always looked for anybody that knows something about God that I don’t, as well as people who don’t know as much about God that I do. The most fascinating thing I've ever encountered was God, and it was my mother who made me believe in Him first. It was my mother who told me His name and told me all about Him. That woman was so unbelievably smart. It was obvious that her blonde did not go down to her roots. Jesus said, "I told you I have sheep you don't know about." My mother surprised so many people by her intelligence and even more-so by her faith and love of the Lord. She said, "it just seems to me that God is in the interruptions of my life, and He's seldomly not in my plans." And I thought, “that's how I need to be, too.”
Whether you have interruptions or disruptions, we've all had them. When you go home tonight, think about your life and when you were really interrupted or disrupted. Was God the cause? Did you feel God was there? This is where we get to learn to walk by faith. When we get to heaven, I’ve wondered how we are going to please God, because without faith, it's impossible to please God.
Well, I know we're interrupted, but I wonder if Jesus was ever interrupted. I searched the Bible for them, and I found a couple. Remember that woman with the blood issue. She interrupted His journey. She got healed, and she made it
into the Bible. We're still talking about her. Remember that time Jesus was
preaching, and we don't know what He was preaching about because
nobody wrote it down, but He was on His third point when they sawed
through the roof and let a crippled guy down in front of Jesus, and Jesus
healed him, and He saved him. And this interruption made the Bible, but the
sermon didn't. Here's God on foot preaching, and nobody took notes. Mary’s life was interrupted, also. She was only 13 years old, when Gabriel showed up and interrupted her morning and said, "You're gonna birth a baby." And she says, "But I've never known a man." which was a very good start of the conversation. Mary’s life had then been interrupted. Her life would never be the same, but she accepted the gift from God without hesitation because she knew her life was being interrupted for a worthy reason. And Gabriel explained how this was gonna happen. And then Mary said, "Be it unto me as you say." What a trooper she was. And then she started singing and worshipping the Lord. “Be it unto me as you say." Now that is a very strong young woman. Very strong in her faith. And then, thankfully, the angel stopped by and told Joseph of the plan. Joseph, was a very interesting person. He must have never said anything worth writing down. Not one word in the Bible is from Joseph. Even the cows got in Bible from just their mooing. Joseph put Mary on a donkey, and they travel 90 miles or so. It’s no wonder her water broke. And after all of that traveling, he forgot to book a room and the only inn was full. Actually, way back then there wasn’t a way to send ahead for a reservation, so that really wasn’t Joseph’s fault at all. But don't tell me God can't use anybody for His purpose or to make a plan come to fruition. I mean, the whole Bible's full of sinners, frauds, and failures, just like you, and just like me. Because on our best days we're a pack of sinners trying to find our way home, and our Father in heaven is always there for us. He see’s all and knows all before, during, and after in each of our lives. He doesn’t always get our attention through a lightning bolt or a clap of thunder. Sometimes His attempts to capture our attention and our focus, can be much less obvious, such as through a well-placed interruption that seems more commonplace than epic.
Some say that God's interruptions are always for a greater purpose. Others say that God's interruptions can be a way to:
• Invite us to see God
God may be inviting us to see him in others, in our conversations, or in serving those in need.
• Wake us up
Interruptions can be a way to wake us up to what's around us and to see that there's more to do than just our own tasks.
• Get our attention
Interruptions can capture our attention and disrupt our activities, inviting us to have a closer connection with God.
• Speak new truth
God may be interrupting to speak new truth to us, to lead us in a new direction, or to give our lives new meaning and purpose.
Some say that God's interruptions are a gift of grace and a profound blessing. They say that we shouldn't be afraid of them, but instead should pray for them, ask for them, and long for them.
Can you image all the bad decisions you might not make if you could only learn to see any sign that could possibly be from God? Some call it a Godwink while others say that God’s interruptions are signs from above.
An unpredictable interruption in our lives is a divine plan by God. This kind of unwanted change can bring divine opportunities for you to grow and align us with what has been mandated by God for our lives. I can see that whenever God interrupts our plans, it's always for a greater purpose.
Proverbs 19:21 says, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." This scripture means that we don’t just have some plans — we have many plans. I know I do. I have lists, notes and memos full of ideas of things I want to try, books I want to read, and goals I want to accomplish. At times, it can be frustrating knowing that I actually don’t have enough time or energy to pursue every plan that comes to my heart.
There is no guarantee we’ll see our plans come to fruition. But what if we choose to look at our unaccomplished or interrupted plans not as failures but as opportunities? What if God is using what we call “failed plans” for His greater purpose?
Think of some of Jesus’ disciples. Matthew planned to be a tax collector. (Matthew 9:9) Andrew, Peter, James and John planned to be fishermen, but an encounter with Jesus interrupted those plans for a purpose that would spread the gospel to all nations. (Matthew 4:18-22)
Even unfulfilled plans are often pathways to God’s greater purpose. When our focus is on God’s purpose over our plans, we are freed from the pressure they create. We release the urge to do everything at once and the frustration when we realize we can’t.
Plans are what we intend to do, but the effects of our purpose in Christ grow far beyond our intentions. No matter what plans come to pass — or not — this year, we can always have peace when we know that even if plans fail, God’s purpose always prevails.
Interruption is God's invitation. God is inviting us to see him all around us, in the lives of others, in our conversations, in our serving those in need. Interruption is not simply a matter of our heart developing patience; it's about experiencing true life.
Have you ever had a preconceived idea of what you thought you were going to do, only to have God interject a different plan—his plan—into your agenda? How did you deal with that? Were you flexible, and did you willingly make the required adjustments? All of the great biblical heroes experienced and responded favorably to a divine interruption. God disrupted their regular routines in a huge way.
• Abram was comfortable in Ur of the Chaldees, but God called him on a journey of faith.
• Moses was comfortable herding sheep in the wilderness, but God’s people needed a deliverer.
• Jonah was comfortable preaching in Israel, but Nineveh needed to hear from God.
• Nehemiah was comfortable as the king’s cupbearer, but the walls of Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt.
• Mary was comfortable living her young, simple life, but the angel Gabriel brought her a life-altering message.
• Peter was comfortable as a fisherman, but Jesus saw another purpose for his life.
• Paul was comfortable as a Pharisee, but God needed a great church-planter.
• With the exception of Paul, it’s not that what any of them doing was wrong; it’s just that God had a different plan, a different purpose for them to fulfill. This reminds me of the wise counsel given in the Old Testament.
Proverbs 16:9 states, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”
• Planning is a good thing, but we should always stay flexible and allow God to tweak or even to radically change what we had in mind. People make their plans based on what they see at that time, and often those plans are good. But God sometimes shows us more things as time goes on, and then our plans need to be superseded by his plans.
• Many never progress in the will of God for their lives because they never get free from their preconceived ideas or step out of their comfort zone. As humans, we tend very much to be creatures of habit. We like certainty, predictability, and control. If we are not careful, though, clinging tenaciously to what “we think” and what we are comfortable with can cause us to miss the will of God.
While Philip was having great success leading a citywide revival in Samaria, God asked him to do something that seemed like a big step backward—to leave large numbers of people and go out to the desert. To the natural mind, what God requested of him did not make sense.
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him in Acts 8:26-29, “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went, behold, a man of Ethiopia, and eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”
The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.
I’m sure you recall the rest of the story. He ended up bringing the Ethiopian eunuch to faith in Jesus, and then baptized him. We do not know the full extent of God’s strategy in directing Philip that way, but we do know that God loves individuals enough to send someone out to the desert to reach them if that is what is necessary. Remember the 99/1 principle that Jesus taught (Matthew 18:1-4).
In the natural, Philip should have stayed where the larger numbers of people were, but God interrupted Philip’s plans with his own. This change of direction did not change Philip’s call, but it did change his assignment. This brings us to an important point: I believe there can be a difference between a calling and an assignment.
In a sense, we have one calling. It is from God, and it is unto God. But we can have many assignments in life. God may interrupt us at times by changing our assignments as it pleases Him, but our essential calling does not change.
Sometimes people are moving in the right direction generally, but they lack specific clarity. For example, Paul knew he was supposed to preach to the Gentiles, but which Gentiles? He was endeavoring to go a certain direction, but the Holy Spirit kept flagging him off.
Let’s talk about Paul and Silas. In Acts 16:6-7, it says, “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” So, the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So, we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Paul was trying to go certain directions, but his plans were interrupted more than once. One of the lessons from this is that Paul was spiritually sensitive enough not to push ahead with his own plans in spite of a contrary witness from the Holy Spirit. Second, timing was an issue here. Verse 6 says that Paul was not allowed to preach in the province of Asia “at this time.” Paul would minister in Asia with great results at a later time, but now was not that time. We also learn something about “the process of elimination” from this story. At this phase of his journey, Paul found out what the will of God was not, before he found out what it was. Sometimes you will hear “no” a few times before you hear “yes.”
Sometimes God’s interruptions are a significant shock and draw us well outside of our comfort zone. The Apostle Peter experienced this kind of situation in Acts 10. Peter was in Joppa, having just raised Dorcas from the dead. He was minding his own business, waiting on lunch, when he fell into a trance and had a vision (three times) of a sheet being let down from heaven, containing all kinds of unclean animals. He heard a voice instructing him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat” (Acts 10:13).
Peter protested based on his Jewish, ritualistic purity, but he soon realized that the issue was not food, but people. God did not want Peter to consider the Gentiles unclean! God was about to send Peter into the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. Peter would preach the gospel, and Cornelius and the other Gentiles with him would be gloriously saved and filled with the Holy Spirit!
Going into the home of a Gentile and sharing the gospel is something Peter would have never done until God interrupted both his itinerary and his way of thinking! When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was confronted because of what he did. Acts 11:2-3 says, “And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him. Saying, thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.”
in a way, “But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “‘You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!’ they said.” It is important to understand that when God interrupts you, it not only disrupts what you had in mind, but may bring some disruption and discomfort to others as well.
Even though our flesh loves the status quo and enjoys the “comfort zone,” we should always welcome it when God interrupts our plans with his plans. Here are three quick reasons:
• Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
• 1 Corinthians 13:9 states, “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”
• Ephesians 3:20 said, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
This is why we should always stay flexible. It is good for us to plan—the book of Proverbs confirms this. But we should always stay open, always be willing to learn, and always be open to new assignments and new approaches. Remember, God is still writing your story. Quit trying to steal the pen and trust the author.
And it is this I pray for us all. Amen!
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the many ideas and plans You’ve placed on my heart for this new year. I pray for the faith to trust You with each plan and to trust that your greater purpose will prevail. Thank You for Your peace in all circumstances no matter what path You take me on this season.
