Walking down the hall of your office building, with purpose in your gate, thinking strongly of the meeting you are heading to. You are covering your notes so your presentation can be as precise as possible. This is an important time for both you and your company. If you nail this presentation, it could mean a large commission or potentially a promotion to a much-desired position within the organization.
Ten feet from the conference room you are interrupted by a co-worker, who explains a seemingly trivial matter with another account. With your focus on the meeting at hand, you just blurt out the first potential solution that comes to mind. The co-worker acknowledged the answer and turns away to deal with the situation. Regaining focus, you proceed into the conference room and begin a glowing presentation, which you feel will blow the client away, knowing they can not deny the validity of all the facts and figures you have put together in a flawless progression.
The presentation goes perfectly, with every key point you feel just one step closer to the goal of landing this new client. As you close, your excitement abounds as you wonder how quickly they will accept and sign on the dotted line. Within seconds of your last word, they thank you for your time and work, giving a great presentation, but they have decided to go in a different direction. You are devasted but there was no changing their mind at this point. You have lost.
- How would you feel at this moment? Would you wonder if your bosses would no longer even consider you for a management position or that you will even keep your job?
- Do you think if you put a few minutes into prayer before even leaving your office down the hallway that it would have made a difference in the outcome?
The next day, your boss comes to your office to talk. You feel an overwhelming loss coming and he just wants to deliver the bad news in person, face-to-face. To your amazement when he walks in, he is exceedingly happy and showing tremendous gratitude for the work you do and how your ingenious idea not only saved a large account but caused this account to more than triple their work/orders with your company-far exceeding what was expected from the first company turning down your diligent presentation.
What is your boss talking about, you are at a loss? Remember the interruption? That seemingly trivial question? God’s will had something far greater in the plans for you, while using the first presentation to keep you humble.
- How do you feel now as compared to the day before when you were turned down by the new client?
- Do you think prayer before the presentation would have made a difference now?
To call something an interruption we must accept the premise that:
- You assume a goal. You are definitely headed somewhere. There is no interruption if you are not “on your way” to do something or go somewhere.
- You assume that your goal is more important than the interruption. There is no interruption if you are on your way but are diverted by something you think is more important.
So then, an interruption is something less important that “gets in the way” of going somewhere or doing something more important.
God is always in the interruptions! When you least expect, when you don’t think it matters, God has you. Your idea of an expected outcome is not always what God’s Will is for you.
Jesus seemed to invite the interruptions, never considering them interruptions, in His Mission Journey, but to complete the Will of God. John 4:34-Nothing was more important than God’s Will-not rest nor food.
. Jesus always seemed to be on His way to somewhere or leaving to head to somewhere when interruptions occurred. Coming down from just delivering the Sermon on the Mount and enroute to Capernaum, Jesus was interrupted by many
Matthew 8:1-4 Request of the Leper
Matthew 8:5-13 Faith of the Centurion
Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12 Healing the paralytic
Leaving Capernaum
Matthew 8:14-15 Healing Peters Mother-in-law
Upon arriving on the other side of the sea of Galilee
Matthew 8:28-34 Healing the two demon-possessed men
Jesus will even accept an interruption to an interruption, like in Matthew 9:18-26 (Also uke 8:43-47, Mark 5:25-43)
Jesus is teaching His disciples when a ruler named Jarius came (Interruption 1) and worshipped asking Jesus to restore his daughter who had just died. (vs 18) Then Jesus arose to follow him to his house to see his daughter. (vs 19)
Along the way to the rulers home a diseased woman touched His hem (interruption 2). (vs 21) Stopping and looking at the woman Jesus said to her “thy faith hath made thee whole” (vs 22) before setting back to His original journey (interruption)
Upon leaving Jarius house Jesus was followed by 2 Blind men Matt 9:27-31
On the road to Jericho, He was interrupted by a blind beggar, Bartimaeus. Mark 10:46-52
It seems Jesus almost invited interruptions to occur during His travels. He always stopped and took the time to deal with the needs of those who were interrupting and in every case, through the miracles performed, word of Him spread.
What if you were more open to “interruptions”? Do you think you could be missing some of God’s blessing by not paying attention to people and circumstances around you? Prov 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
How do you react to interruptions now? Frustrated, annoyed, irritated, or thankful?
How about a teenage girl who is excitedly thinking about her upcoming wedding? She gets interrupted by a visitor giving her news that will forever change her life. Mary is the teen, the visitor is Gabriel. Luke 1:28-36
Matt 1:18-25 Joseph dream interrupted by Angel Gabriel.
Moses was tending his animals when God interrupted Exo 3:1-3
What about when God interrupted Noahs life in Gen 6?
Acts 9:10-15 Ananias interrupted by God
Of course how could we ever talk about life interruptions without mentioning the road to Damascus? Saul of Tarsus’ life was more than interrupted? It was completely transformed on his way to Damascus!
Is God trying to interrupt your life, your plans, your goals and you are not listening? I feel that many here are about to go through some dramatic changes. Our lives are about to be interrupted by some lofty plans and visions-interrupted for God to transform us, our church, our community, and beyond.
I pray that you are ready, willing and able to step up when called.
Grow Stronger Roots 