DIVINE INTERRUPTIONS
By: C. Mason Davis
There are some obvious interruptions that happen from time to time that can only be described as divine or holy. One sermon, not so long ago, I was preaching to a church for the first time and was a bit nervous. Just then, a young boy near the front of the sanctuary raised his hand and said, “Excuse me.” His mother was sitting beside him trying to keep him quiet while at the same time she was turning “Beet” red. I told her it’s okay to let him speak. It was then that I realized how old I’m getting because that kid looked at me and asked, “Are you the old man from that ‘Up’ movie.” Laughter erupted. Also, that was the last time I wore my black, thick-rimmed reading glasses.
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. 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. 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. 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
• Events or circumstances
• Challenges
Some say that divine interruptions are a blessing and a gift of grace, and that we should welcome them.
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 hair was 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. 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 when they sawed through the roof and let a crippled man down in front of Jesus, and Jesus healed him, then saved him. And this interruption made the Bible, but the sermon didn't. Mary’s life was interrupted, also. She was very young, thought to be around 13 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. So, don't tell me God can't use anybody for His purpose or to make a plan come to fruition.
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
• Wake us up
• Get our attention
• Speak new truth
Some also 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?
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. 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 of some sort. 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 were doing wrong; it’s just that God had a different plan, a different purpose for them to fulfill. 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. 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.
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.
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!
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.
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.”
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!