Divine Interruption or Intervention? I’ve been thinking a lot about Jonah lately. Do you ever wonder what he was doing before God told him to go to Ninevah?
I’m willing to bet he had plans he was in the middle of, goals he was trying to accomplish. He seems like the planning type, given how quickly he crafted an escape route for himself after God called him. I wonder what goal he was trying so hard to achieve when God spoke to him that made him feel like fleeing to the other side of the world was a good idea.
Have you ever felt like divine intervention is really more of divine interruption? Sometimes it’s hard not to have that perspective, especially when the goals we’re working towards seem honorable or noble to us. Perhaps you’re on a strict budget trying to pay off all your student loan debt, and then your house needs a new roof. Or maybe you’ve been working hard all year to earn that promotion, when your husband finds out he’s being transferred to an office two states away.
I faced a similar situation last year regarding the work goals I had set for myself. In order to be a good steward of my time, I allotted a certain amount of time each month that I would work with Cassidy Turley. When Annie got so sick, it felt like an interruption that was forcing me away from my goals. In August, November and December, I worked only about half of the time I had set out in my goals.
I didn’t see this as divine intervention until December, while I was writing my testimony for the DREM speech I gave in Dallas a couple of weeks ago. I looked back and saw that God wanted me “to totally rely on Him.” He placed me in an otherwise hopeless situation because He wanted me to see the only hope I have is in Him. And, when I share Annie’s story the only thing I can do is give God the glory. It has allowed me to share my faith with close friends in a way that I would have never had the chance to do before.
Once I realized how God was using this trial in mine and Annie’s lives, my whole perspective changed. If I have an interruption, it’s because He sees me as significant in furthering his Kingdom. For some reason He has called me to a certain task versus someone else. Now I see this “interruption” as a privilege because I want to live my life for God.
Have you experienced a similar interruption in your own life? How would your perspective change if you saw it as divine intervention, not interruption?
Do you need more godly encouragement in your career? Check out How to Quit Your Job with Grace and Integrity
Click here to learn more about author Diane Paddison.
Leave a Reply