DIVINE DISRUPTION

“I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert,” says Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)

Disruption means disturbance or problems interrupting an event, activity, or process. If you are like me, you also do not like disruptions. I find disruptions annoying, mainly when they occur unannounced. Disruptions are the last thing I need after spending a tremendous amount of time, energy, and prayers on something I am passionately bought into. I wouldn’t even say that I like them when they appear during less significant moments, like while I am writing a paper, reading a book, cooking food, drinking coffee, or watching Efren “Bata” Reyes playing billiards on YouTube. Of course, there are moments when I feel okay to drop or pause what I am doing to accommodate a disruption that seems to really need my attention, but generally, disruptions are not a welcome sight for me.

But what about divine disruption? Have you had an experience with this so-called ‘divine disruption’ ever? Is there such a thing?

Indeed, there is! We find some examples of divine disruption in the Scriptures. My favorite Bible story is the conversion of Paul the Apostle, recorded in the Book of Acts, chapter 9, verses 1-9. To make the long story short, Paul’s mission at the time was to murder the disciples of the Lord. God interrupted his plan and disrupted his life. God turned around his life, leading to his conversion from being the number one enemy of Christ’s followers to becoming the number one ally of the Christian movement. Paul was a former murderer of Christians who was then murdered by forces against Christianity because of his faith and love in Christ Jesus.

How does Paul’s conversion story inform you about divine disruption? What did you learn from this story about your attitude toward divine disruption? Is divine disruption like Paul’s a spiritual encounter with God that you would embrace and welcome in your life? In Paul’s experience, his encounter with Divine Disruption makes him strongly connected with God and God’s love and purpose for him.

How does divine disruption connect you to God’s love? Can you see God’s salvific plan and transformative power amid divine disruption? Paul’s encounter with the divine disruption was the beginning of a new pathway for an incredible journey. It could also happen to you if you open yourself to God’s intervention and follow God’s directions for your life.

May you find a space in your heart, opening and welcoming divine disruption in the noisiness, busyness, and conflicting voices around you. Ask God to open your heart and set it on fire. Trusting that everything works together for good for those who love God, this divine disruption you are going through could be your gateway to lasting transformation. In this new beginning, you see God leading you and partnering with you in making “a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Paul discovered a new roadmap toward pursuing a great purpose in life because he embraced fully and faithfully God’s divine disruption. Would you be open to welcoming divine disruption and becoming a faithful follower of God?

Prayer Song:

He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, he leadeth me,
by his own hand he leadeth me;
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
by waters still, o’er troubled sea,
still ’tis his hand that leadeth me. Amen.

Text: Joseph H. Gilmore, 1834-1918
Music: William B. Bradbury, 1816-1868