A message for when a church meeting was interrupted.
“And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.” ~ Acts 27:39
Going into the weekend, you probably woke up with plans. Maybe you were looking forward to gathering with your church family, singing hymns, and sharing fellowship over coffee. Then you looked outside (or heard the impending forecast) and saw the snow falling, the ice building up, the forecast getting worse. Church was cancelled.
Life hands us these moments– disruptions we never asked for, interruptions we didn’t plan, circumstances beyond our control. The question isn’t whether these moments will come. The question is: What will we do with them?
In Acts 27, the apostle Paul found himself on a ship headed for Rome. He warned the crew not to sail, but they sailed anyway. A violent storm arose– not because God orchestrated it as punishment (although he absolutely allowed such), but because sailors made a choice and nature took its course. For fourteen days, 276 men fought for their lives as the ship was battered and broken.
Here’s what strikes me: Paul didn’t cause the storm. He actually tried to prevent it. But when the storm came anyway, God’s providence was already at work. Paul became a source of hope to desperate men (Acts 27:22-25). Every single life was spared. And when the ship finally ran aground on Malta, ministry opportunities opened that would never have existed otherwise (Acts 28:1-10).
God didn’t need the shipwreck to accomplish His purposes. But he certainly used it.
This is providence– not God micromanaging every snowflake and every cancelled plan, but God working redemptively within the circumstances of a fallen world. Weather is sometimes just weather. Storms are sometimes just storms. Disruptions are sometimes just the natural result of living in a world that doesn’t always cooperate with our schedules.
But here’s the beautiful truth: Nothing catches God by surprise. His purposes remain steady even when our plans get derailed. He doesn’t need perfect conditions to work. He works with what is.
So what about today? You’re home instead of at church. The snow is falling. This isn’t necessarily a divine appointment orchestrated from heaven– but it can become one if you’re attentive to what God might do with this unexpected margin in your day.
Maybe it’s rest your body has been begging for. Maybe it’s a conversation with a family member you’ve been too busy to have. Maybe it’s time to pray about something you’ve been carrying alone. Maybe it’s a neighbor who needs help shoveling their driveway. Maybe it’s simply the gift of slowing down long enough to remember that your worth isn’t measured by your productivity.
This week, we were supposed to gather as the body of Christ. We will gather again soon. But today, you have something you didn’t have yesterday: time. Redeem the time as the Apostle Paul teaches. Don’t waste it wishing things were different. Ask the Lord: What do You want to do with this interruption?
Paul didn’t orchestrate the shipwreck, but he didn’t waste it either. He used it to bring hope, to minister to others, and to trust God’s faithfulness in uncertain circumstances. The storm didn’t define him. His response to it did.
Your response to today’s disruption will define it too. Will you grumble about what got cancelled, or will you look for what God might be opening? Will you resist the interruption, or will you lean into the appointment He might be offering?
God’s providence doesn’t mean every disruption is a divine setup. It means God is always present, always faithful, always able to work good from whatever comes our way. Trust Him with today. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He hasn’t lost control.
Stay warm, stay safe, and stay attentive. You never know when an unexpected interruption might become a divine appointment.