Divine Interruptions

In my devotional reading this week, in a devotional plan on the Bible App called, “Soul Rest: 7 Days to Renewal,” I came across a quotation from German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer that has both convicted and challenged me. Bonhoeffer said, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”

What a powerful statement, one that cuts to the quick of our busy lifestyles. Truth is, we are beyond busy. We are over scheduled and multitasking while running here, there, and everywhere. We have little time for rest or leisure. When we do pause our bodies, our minds are still racing a mile a minute. For these reasons, I was pierced by Bonhoeffer’s statement, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”

Bonhoeffer’s statement raises questions we must grapple with: Have we busied ourselves so much that we have no room for God to speak? Have we scheduled ourselves so much that God has been relegated to the waitlist? How do we make space in our lives for divine interruptions? The simple answer to these questions, at least for me, are: yes, yes, and rest. But as I shared in the sermon, “Working on a Coal Mine” resting must be an intentional act on the part of believers, not just for the sake of our bodies, but for our growth as disciples. So Family, I invite you to sit with Bonhoeffer’s statement and the questions I’ve raised above and see how God moves you to ready yourself for divine interruptions. 

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah