If you’re anything like me, you don’t like interruptions when you’re trying to get something done. Phone calls, lunch break, computer failure, etc. I just like to be focused for a period of time so I can do what I’m trying to do. And sometimes, entire weeks can get derailed by interruptions.
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had a few interruptions.
First, it was an unexpected trip home. And going home to Nova Scotia is quite a task when you live 8 hours away. But while I was there, I figured I’d might as well make the most of it and decided to stop into Acadia Divinity College for a Wednesday morning chapel service. I picked a good one. The chapel speaker was Danny Smith, pastor of Middleton Baptist Church, and in my opinion, one of the best young preachers in the Baptist Convention at the moment.
Danny spoke on Paul and Silas in prison and how they worshiped despite their difficult situation. He paralleled it with Job. All of these guys experienced some “interruptions” along the way. But, they didn’t cease to praise God. Why? 1. Because they recognized that God is worthy regardless of our circumstances, and 2. because they recognized God’s providence in their distress. He had a plan. He had things under control. Both of those points – how amazing God is, and how in control He is – were things I needed to hear that day. Perhaps my present interruption was a case of needing to trust in God’s providence. It also occured to me during chapel, “I should preach on how incredibly awesome and worthy God is sometime soon; I think my parishioners need to hear that.”
The next interruption was the flu. It woke both of us up on Sunday morning at 5:00am and we were out of commission. I called Pastor Harold Sparkes (a retired pastor in my church) and asked if he could preach something for me on the fly. Praise God, he was willing. And hmmm… you’ll never guess what he decided to preach on… “how incredibly awesome and worthy God is!” Are you starting to see a pattern??
The Bible is full of stories of men and women whose lives were interrupted by God. And it still seems to be one of God’s favorite ways to get our attention, and to accomplish His plans. My recent interruptions were clearly part of God’s bigger picture. They weren’t always enjoyable detours, but they fit together to help fulfill God’s purposes. So, I’m learning, little by little, to say “yes, Lord” a little more often, and not stress it when my to do list doesn’t get done.