What do we do when we’ve got our own plans, but God has different plans? Have you ever had a day like that, where you thought, “You know what, today I’m going to do X, Y, and Z.” God’s like, “Nope. That’s not what I have planned for you today.” How do you handle that? What do you do when God has other plans than what you had? I know for me, I get really frustrated when I don’t feel in control. As I’ve grown older and more mature, I try to think, “Okay, God, what are you doing here? If you’ve created this moment, if you’ve created the space and you’ve got other plans, I want to see things with your vision.”
I was reflecting recently on the story of Philip and the eunuch in Acts 8. It says, “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go toward the South along the road, which is down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” We don’t know what Philip had planned for the day. What we do know is that an angel of the Lord spoke to him and said to go down to Gaza. I doubt Philip went to sleep thinking he would be headed to the desert the next morning. But he went, and behold, a eunuch of great authority under the queen of the Ethiopians, who had in his charge all her treasury, had come to Jerusalem to worship. Philip ends up converting the man after noticing he was reading from Isaiah. It is strongly believed this is how Christianity spread into Ethiopia. This is one of the first spreads of Christianity to new regions because Philip was obedient. Philip goes on to preach in several different cities in the area. When God interrupts your day, He also redeems some of your time. When we’re obedient, God will create the space that needed to get everything done.
The next time something doesn’t go the way that you think it’s going to go, take a step back. Say, “God, what are you doing? Where can I get involved with you? How can I partner with you?”
When God has other plans for our day, that’s what I want to do. The next time God interrupts your day, remember he’s creating something really special for you. God’s plans lead us to incredible experiences and valuable situations.