Today's Journey
Interruptions
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“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found
favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus’. ” Luke 1:30-31
Interruptions
are inevitable. It’s just the way life works. But, I keep asking
myself, why is it that they come at such inopportune times? After
listening to a zillion options in the phone-answering menu, someone will
start talking to me and I miss the key moment only to have to redial
and go through the whole thing again! And who’s the bozo that always
rings the doorbell just when the game-changing play is about to happen?
Well, I guess we could learn to live with interruptions if it weren’t
for the fact that some of life’s interruptions are disruptive on a far
more serious scale—a phone call from the doctor giving you bad news
about your cancer tests, that pink slip on your desk, the unexpected
loss of a loved one, or an unwanted job transfer all stack up as
devastating surprises.
Which brings to mind how Joseph and Mary
must have felt when their lives were dramatically interrupted by angelic
announcements. Their future was bright until the divine announcements
threatened their sense of well-being to the core. If all you have is the
Christmas-card mentality—Oh, how precious to see Mary, Joseph, and the child with angels fluttering over them!—then
you’ve missed the magnitude of just how disruptive God’s interruptions
were. What would Mary tell her mother, to say nothing of all the
relatives and busybodies in her little village? Do we think for a moment
that any of them would believe the story that began with “An angel told
me . . .”? And for Joseph’s part, everyone would conclude that he had
violated his fiancée’s virginity—which in those days would have been a
damning breach of religious and cultural standards. Believe me, no one
would want a “Kitchens by Joseph” sign in his or her front yard anymore!
Given
the weight of it all, the amazing element in their story is that they
both accepted the interruptions with a sense of resolved surrender. A
surrender that put them in a place where God could accomplish far more
through them than their uninterrupted lives ever would have dreamed of.
Though awkward and challenging, God’s unexpected change in their plans
gave them the honor of parenting the very Son of God. And our world has
never been the same again—to say nothing of our lives!
There’s a
lesson here for us. When God interrupts our best laid plans and
expectations—even when it seems like the outcomes are devastating—He has
a far greater thing in mind for us. God’s worthiness and glory is far
more evident when it is expressed in the midst of suffering. There is no
greater confirmation of the trustworthiness of God than when we trust
Him even in the face of the unexpected insecurities and uncertainties of
life. And who knows what He has in store through you in terms of impact
in future generations when He rearranges your life? I can’t always tell
you what God is up to, but I can assure you that He uses interruptions
to do things far beyond what we ever dreamed.
So this Christmas,
let’s get the point. When interruptions come, stop resisting. Surrender
and start looking for the hand of God as you serve Him obediently in
spite of the uncertainty that is staring you in the face.
I’ve
often wondered: What if Noah had said, “I don’t do boats!” or if Moses
had complained, “I don’t do crowds!” or if Job had insisted, “I don’t do
suffering” or if Mary had declined, “No thanks, a virgin birth is too
great a risk” or, ultimately, if Jesus had said, “I don’t do crosses!”?
Trust Him. He knows what He is doing with your life!
YOUR JOURNEY…
- Reflect on a time when God “interrupted” your life at a seemingly inopportune moment. What was your first reaction to that interruption? What was the outcome?
- Is it hard for you to trust God when unusual circumstances invade your life? Find a verse that will help anchor your trust in Him next time He “interrupts” you!
- Read the account of the angelic interruptions in Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew 1:18-25. What can you learn from Mary and Joseph’s reactions to the news that turned their lives upside-down? Ask the Lord to give you the same quiet resolve to surrender yourself to His plan.
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