Want to know God?

Minister of students, Meadow Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham 

Have you ever been interrupted? It could have been an interruption from someone you knew who ran into you at the store or one of your kids needing your help or from a phone call. No matter what the interruption is — good or bad — interruptions refocus our direction.

When we experience God we have a divine interruption. In those moments when we realize we are lost and headed down a path to the wrong things, God at times chooses to reorient our lives with a divine interruption. In Ephesians 2:1–10, Paul speaks of the divine interruption that happens when someone surrenders their life to Jesus.

Paul describes the path prior to the divine interruption as: “dead in trespasses and sins” (v. 1); “following the course of this world” (v. 2); “following the prince of the power of the air” (v. 2); “living in the passions of the flesh” (v. 3); “carrying out the desires of the body and mind” (v. 3); and “children of wrath” (v. 3). It is clear from this verse that before Jesus comes into our lives we are headed on a negative path to negative consequences.

However, the story changes at the divine interruption in Ephesians 2:4 — “but God.” God intervenes in our lives and changes our direction. Now because of Jesus and His work for us at the cross we are “loved” (v. 4), “made alive” (v. 5), “saved” (v. 5) and seated with Jesus in His glory (vv. 6–7).

We experience divine interruption in our lives by placing our faith in Jesus. Paul says: “for by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so no one may boast” (vv. 8–9).

If we place our faith in Jesus, our lives will be totally interrupted and changed forever. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul defines our interrupted life as one of good deeds where we join God in His work of bringing hope to the world. Let us embrace a life of divine interruptions.