Divine Interruptions: Embracing God's Invitations in Life

Today, we explored the profound truth that what we often see as interruptions in our lives are, in fact, divine invitations from God. Each of us has a tendency to cling to our plans, our routines, and our sense of control. We map out our days, set our goals, and expect life to follow our carefully crafted agendas. Yet, God has a way of stepping into our stories at the most unexpected moments, disrupting our comfort and our expectations—not to punish us, but to prepare us for something deeper.

Looking at the story of Peter in Luke 5, we see a man exhausted from a fruitless night of fishing, ready to call it quits. But Jesus steps into Peter’s boat uninvited, turning his ordinary day into a moment of transformation. Peter’s plans were interrupted, but it was in that very interruption that Jesus positioned him for a miracle. Sometimes, God will make us stop so that we can truly start—start listening, start trusting, and start living in the fullness of His purpose.

We often resist these interruptions, seeing them as inconveniences or setbacks. But God calls them invitations—opportunities to pause, to listen, and to surrender. When Peter finally recognized that Jesus was in his boat, everything changed. He moved from frustration to faith, from effort to surrender. The miracle didn’t come from Peter’s expertise or hard work, but from his willingness to trust Jesus, even when it seemed ridiculous.

God isn’t impressed by our efforts to look put together or to control every outcome. He wants our real, messy, vulnerable selves. He wants the part of us that feels empty, tired, or unworthy. It’s in our surrender, not our striving, that His strength is made perfect. When we allow God to interrupt us, He can turn our emptiness into abundance, our boats into pulpits, and our lives into testimonies of His grace.

So the question is not whether God is interrupting us, but whether we will recognize His interruptions as invitations. Will we allow Him to redirect our plans, to deepen our faith, and to write a new story with our lives? May we be a people who welcome holy interruptions, trusting that God’s ways are higher and His plans are always for our good.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Divine Interruptions Are Invitations, Not Inconveniences What we often label as disruptions or setbacks are actually God’s invitations to experience something deeper. These moments are not meant to derail us, but to realign us with His purpose and presence. When we shift our perspective and see interruptions as opportunities, we open ourselves to God’s transformative work in our lives. [10:52]
• 2. God Will Make You Stop So You Can Truly Start Sometimes, God has to bring our plans to a halt so that we can finally listen and receive what He wants to give. Like Peter, we may find ourselves stuck, frustrated, or empty, but it’s in that pause that God prepares us for a new beginning. The holy pause is not punishment, but preparation for the miracle He wants to do. [18:26]
• 3. Ridiculous Faith Is Born in the Place of Surrender Peter’s willingness to obey Jesus’ seemingly illogical command—“because You say so”—was the turning point. Real faith often looks foolish to the world, but it is in trusting God beyond our understanding that we experience the miraculous. Until we are willing to look ridiculous for God, we may never see the fullness of His power. [30:52]
• 4. God Wants Your Surrender, Not Your Performance We often try to impress God with our efforts, our cleaned-up image, or our spiritual “resume.” But God desires our authentic selves—the messy, broken, and vulnerable parts. Our surrender showcases His strength, while our striving only highlights our own limitations. He can do more with our weakness than we can with our success. [38:34]
• 5. An Interrupted Life Is a Life God Can Use God is not interested in fitting into our schedules or five-year plans. He wants to write a new story with our lives, one that begins with our willingness to be interrupted. When we accept His interruptions as invitations, He turns our emptiness into abundance and our ordinary moments into platforms for His glory. [43:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:38] - Gratitude for Team and Family
• [02:18] - Introducing the Series: Divine Interruptions
• [04:07] - Our Struggle with Control and Interruptions
• [05:28] - Childhood Story: The Power of Interruption
• [10:52] - God’s Interruptions as Invitations
• [13:31] - Peter’s Uninvited Encounter with Jesus
• [17:43] - Jesus Makes Us Stop to Start Something New
• [21:08] - Divine Interruption as Preparation
• [23:17] - Letting Go of Our Plans for God’s Miracle
• [28:51] - Ridiculous Faith in the Face of the Impossible
• [34:51] - The Real Miracle: Surrender, Not Success
• [38:34] - God Wants the Real, Messy You
• [43:57] - Seeing Interruptions as Holy Invitations
• [46:42] - Responding to God’s Invitation
• [49:54] - Prayer and Closing Blessing

Bible Reading

Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV) —
> 1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
> 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.
> 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
> 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
> 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
> 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
> 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
> 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
> 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;
> 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
> 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) —
> 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
> Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
> 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
> So are My ways higher than your ways,
> And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Observation Questions

1. In Luke 5, what was Peter doing before Jesus stepped into his boat, and how did he feel about it? ([11:42])
2. How did Jesus interrupt Peter’s routine, and what was Peter’s initial response to Jesus’ request? ([13:31])
3. What was the result of Peter’s obedience to Jesus’ command, even though it seemed pointless at first? ([34:51])
4. According to Isaiah 55:8-9, how does God describe the difference between His ways and our ways? ([43:57])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus chose to interrupt Peter at a moment of exhaustion and failure, rather than when things were going well? ([18:26])
2. What does Peter’s response, “Because You say so, I will let down the nets,” reveal about the kind of faith Jesus is looking for? ([30:52])
3. The sermon says God wants our “real, messy, vulnerable selves” instead of our performance. Why is surrender more important than effort in our relationship with God? ([38:34])
4. How does seeing interruptions as “divine invitations” change the way we interpret setbacks or disappointments in our lives? ([43:57])

Application Questions

1. Think about a recent interruption or setback in your life. Did you see it as an inconvenience or as a possible invitation from God? How might your perspective change if you saw it as God trying to get your attention? ([10:52])
2. Are there areas in your life where you feel “stuck,” frustrated, or empty, like Peter after a night of fruitless fishing? What would it look like to pause and listen for God’s direction in those areas? ([18:26])
3. Peter obeyed Jesus’ command even when it didn’t make sense. Is there something God is asking you to do right now that feels “ridiculous” or risky? What’s holding you back from saying, “Because You say so”? ([30:52])
4. The sermon says God isn’t impressed by our efforts to look put together. What is one area of your life where you need to stop striving and start surrendering? ([38:34])
5. When have you tried to control every outcome or stick to your own plans, only to realize God had something different in mind? How did that experience shape your faith? ([43:57])
6. The story ends with Peter’s boat turning into a pulpit—a platform for God’s glory. What ordinary part of your life could God use as a platform if you allowed Him to interrupt your plans? ([43:57])
7. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways are higher than ours. How can you practice trusting God’s plan this week, even when it doesn’t match your own? ([43:57])