“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
Most of us dislike interruptions. Imagine you’re running late, trying to get somewhere important, when suddenly a tyre goes flat. The delay feels like pure inconvenience, and the punctual among us can quickly grow anxious and frustrated.
Yet Scripture shows us that God sometimes interrupts people on their journeys for a far greater purpose. On the road to Damascus, Saul was racing to arrest and kill Christians when the risen Lord stopped him and transformed him into the Apostle Paul (Acts 9). On his way home, Jacob wrestled with a mysterious man until daybreak and refused to let him go until he received a blessing. When Jacob asked the man’s name, the reply came: “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there (Genesis 32:29).
And then the prophet Balaam was travelling on a reckless path when the angel of the Lord blocked the way. The donkey saw the danger first and pressed against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot. After Balaam beat the animal three times, the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth to speak, and the angel declared: “I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me” (Numbers 22:24-25, 32). Balaam finally listened and turned back to fulfil God’s purpose.
Any of us can be hurrying along a path we feel we cannot do without when an unexpected interruption appears—an unannounced visitor, a spouse who seems deliberately slow, or that sudden phone call.
Don’t fret. Interruptions can be divine interventions. Sometimes God uses them to make us pause and listen. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
Reflection: No one likes interruption but as inconvenient as they may be they could be a divine intervention!
Prayer for today: Lord Almighty Father God, as I go about my tasks today, help me listen for Your voice and remain open to any interruption You may send, however inconveniencing. Keep me from rushing so hard that I miss Your leading or even Your warning. For it is better to be late than to go without You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
