How many of us are missing the blessings given to us by Christ? We pray for an outcome that never arrives, or maybe it does. The fast pace of life focuses so much on our needs and wants that we do not see what God is doing. We have a plan, and God is part of that plan, and we expend all our energy and time living that plan.
Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
“Roughly half of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions. He had a plan, he had a destination, but he was interruptible. I wonder how many of us miss what God is doing because we hold too tightly to our plans.” – Mark Batterson’s book “The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears.”
God Interrupts Us With Blessings.
God interrupts us with the unexpected. I was once hiking with a new friend. I walked faster than he did. He commented on his perception that I was so busy hiking I did not take in or appreciate what I was hiking through. He was right. I planned to get from point “A” to point “B.” I didn’t appreciate all the beautiful gifts God gave me along the way, missing the blessings created by Him. Seeing them was not part of my plan. Hiking in the woods was about an accomplishment, not an experience.
Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Most people live in this action-constrained bubble where cause and effect rules our decisions. We get an idea that immediately germinates an action plan with multiple possible paths. We are then fixated on outcomes. Each outcome produces another potential path or even numerous paths. We lose track of intent. The idea that created the activity becomes lost in the execution. God may have initiated the original idea, but then somehow became just one of the elements required for success. We focus too much on future outcomes and their potential to live in the moment.
The present is the only moment where time touches eternity. – C.S. Lewis’s book “Reflections”
Life is Moments
God lives in the moment. With God, what we experience in the moment dictates the future. He blesses us in the moment. We may not experience the culmination of the blessing until some future point, but God delivers it at the exact time and place that he has chosen. If we fixate too much on the outcome, we may lose what God is doing in the present.
Numbers 6:24: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
God wrote our story. He knows every chapter and verse. We live it word by word. Because we can not see the future, we mitigate risk by creating elaborate plans to deal with unexpected occurrences. Then, we tend to manage our expectations based on that plan. Because of this, we may miss a blessing God is bestowing on us today because of a future event that He is aware of. That event is not part of our current plan.
Capturing Blessing
I suggest taking the time and effort to see how God works in your life unexpectedly. Finding the unexpected will require intentionality. You must look for the unexpected. Do you consider your opportunities, friends, experiences, and time a blessing? Let me give you a couple of examples. Imagine you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, standing in line at a coffee shop. A stranger ahead of you notices and offers a kind smile or starts a lighthearted conversation. Do you see it as God speaking to you?
In another scenario, a stranger might help you in a moment of need, like picking up something you’ve dropped or giving directions when lost. Did God intervene?
Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Such encounters are blessings. They are part of God’s plan for your life. Do you acknowledge them in the moment? Acknowledging the little things makes the big things more palpable. Knowing God cares about you daily gives you strength during uncertainty or turmoil.
James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Tomme, what a beautiful text. I read it at just the right moment. I really liked this part: “About half of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions. He had a plan, he had a destination, but he was willing to be interrupted. I wonder how many of us miss what God is doing because we hold on too tightly to our plans.”
Keydy, thank you for your kind words. I miss talking with you. I hope we might reconnect on one of my trips to Honduras in 2025.