Latest Devotion
When God Disrupts Our Plans
By: Kim Garrett
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
...because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:11 (NLT)
We all make plans. We pray over them while strategically setting up the details. We choose our careers, then work hard at the job we've trained for. We decide where to live, then we save, buy a home, and plant ourselves. If we decide to start a family, we plan the ideal number of children, how to raise them, and where to send them to college. If everything goes as planned, we start making retirement plans.
There is nothing wrong with making plans; we are created in the image of a God who devised and revealed His perfect plan of salvation for us all. Yet, the best laid plans will never come to fruition without intentional focus. Problems arise when we forgot to include God in our planning sessions, or we get so focused on our own plans we are no longer aligned with God’s will for our lives. If this happens, God will often intervene and disrupt our carefully laid plans.
Why would God do that?
- To help us take our eyes off ourselves and refocus them on Him. Since we are created by God, in His image, and for God's good pleasure, He may use a divine disruption to reveal Himself and draw us in closer towards Him. (Philippians 2:13).
- When the disruption hurts (loss of a job, failed relationships, or a foreclosure), God might be protecting us from something up ahead we can’t see. Trust God, His ways are higher, and He always has our best interest in mind. (Genesis 50:20).
- God knows if we're "holding anything too tightly", so He may sever our grip because He’s preparing us for a brand-new adventure. Changes orchestrated by God are our windows of opportunity that will eventually allow us to bring Him glory (Philippians 1:6).
God holds His children close to His heart. That means we have blessings and privileges that are ours through our faith in Christ. If we're following Jesus, our Heavenly Father will go to great lengths to position us for His very best! If the plans we've made get disrupted, we must trust God. After all, His plans are much better than ours!
Read: Proverbs 16:9; Acts 16:6-7; James 4:13-15