08/17/2026
DIVINE INTERRUPTIONS
Chances are, if you are like most of us, you do not like to be interrupted. Most people like to finish what they start. An interruption means stopping where you are, coming back, refocusing, and starting again, but sometimes an interruption is a good thing. Pastor Nathan’s message today highlighted a few examples of divine interruptions. The first can be found in Acts 9:1-6 NKJV. Saul, thinking he was serving God, was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” Saul was convinced that the followers of Jesus, the ones of THE WAY, were enemies of God. He made it his personal mission to stop, imprison, and even kill them. Then one day on the road to Damascus Paul faced a divine interruption that changed his life forever. He met the Lord Jesus Christ, and his life was never the same. You now know Saul as Paul who wrote much of the New Testament.
Many today are on a path. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.” Unfortunately, many live their lives in sorrow, depression, sickness, poverty and hopelessness. Many, not even knowing, are on the pathway to Hell itself. Hell is not a place that was created for mankind. It was created for the devil and the angels who staged a mutiny against God. They were kicked out of Heaven. Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven.” Luke 10:18 The Bible tells us it is not God’s will that any should perish. (II Peter 3:9) Therefore, people’s lives must encounter a divine interruption. They must be placed on a different path. An interruption can be defined as an event or action that stops an ongoing activity. It creates a break in a continuous process, like a sudden power outage or someone talking while you are busy.
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. If God had not interrupted Saul’s life, how would we have received the Good News. Not only that, without the writings of Paul, two-thirds of the New Testament would be missing. Yes, God would have raised up someone to take his place, but praise God, Paul allowed his life to be interrupted!
Pastor Nathan went on to again share a small portion of his own testimony. Even though he grew up in a great Christian home with good parents, the world is still out there. It is an easy thing to find others who have access to the things of the world and join yourself to them. By nature, our flesh wants to be in total control, and the world of darkness is easy to find. Hebrews 11:25 talks about the temporary pleasures of sin for a season, but those pleasures quickly turn to darkness, depression, addiction, and misery. Pastor Nathan’s divine interruption happened in 1997. He realized his life was empty and going nowhere. At that moment when he asked God to end his life, Jesus showed him a new path. He saw himself preaching the Gospel! He said yes to that divine interruption and found his destiny.
Divine interruptions are not convenient. Sometimes they can even be frustrating. Some might view them as a bother or even an offense. Those living for the world are walking in darkness. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes those in need of divine interruption. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” John 3:18 tells us that those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God are already condemned, but there is good news! A heart change is all it takes to escape that condemnation!
The first two words of Ephesians 2:4 is God’s divine interruption! “BUT GOD!” Yes, the devil desires to destroy your life. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), but God is rich in mercy. Jesus loves us with a great love. No one can deny that time passes quickly. The hands of the clock are ever ticking. As children of God, it is time to get serious about living for Him. How many lives did Jesus interrupt during His earthly ministry? COUNTLESS! It is easy to get born again, to fix our lives once again, and enter a routine, but we are called to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. (Mark 16:15) Will everyone be grateful to have this divine interruption? No. Some may hate us, some may mock us, but we must keep the stakes ever before our eyes. Hell is a horrible place, and people do not have to go there. People in this world are hurting, and without us they do not know how to get on another path. II Timothy 4:2 (AMP) sums it up quite well. “Preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.”
What about you? Do you need a divine interruption? Are you on an endless highway with no exits? There is a way of escape. Don’t fail to respond because the interruption is inconvenient. Now is the day of salvation. (II Corinthians 6:2)
PRAYER OF SALVATION: Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."
