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Maui, Hawaii. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.
Daily Devotion

When God Disrupts Our Plans

God can use trials to redirect our path—what feels like disruption might be divine intervention.

Psalm 119:71-72

Perhaps you’ve seen a TV show where a man is about to step in front of a moving vehicle. Then someone else races onto the scene, tackling him to prevent catastrophe. Stunned and indignant, the near-victim fumes at the rescuer—until realizing he’s just been saved from a far worse outcome.

Our trials can serve a similar purpose. It’s easy to get so caught up in daily routines or consumed by chasing a goal that we miss what God has in mind for us. When we’re this focused on our own desires, we become more vulnerable to making choices that don’t align with His Word.

But our heavenly Father wants the best for His children. He’ll go to great lengths to position us for blessing. That’s when we may suddenly find ourselves facing unexpected difficulty—a job loss, a health crisis, a broken relationship. We wonder, Why is God letting this happen to me?

Does this sound familiar? It may be that He’s protecting you from something you can’t see. Or drawing you back to Himself. The psalmist understood this and wrote, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (v. 71). If you’re going through a trial, consider whether God might be redirecting you—disrupting your plans so He can implement His.

Bible in One Year: Psalms 8-14