Divine Disruption

^“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.” – Luke 1:26-29

Every major move of God begins with a disruption. It is a spiritual pattern woven throughout Scripture and echoed in the lives of countless believers. When God is preparing to shift something significant—whether in a person, a family, a community, or even the world—He often begins by unsettling what feels stable, predictable, or familiar. We build routines and expectations that make us feel secure, but God’s greatest works rarely fit inside the boundaries of our comfort.

Divine disruptions rarely arrive with warning. They don’t knock politely or wait for a convenient moment. They break in—sudden, disorienting, and often deeply unsettling. Luke’s account of Gabriel’s visit to Mary captures this with striking honesty. The angel’s appearance did not immediately fill Mary with peace or clarity. Instead, Scripture emphasizes her confusion and disturbance. Those two words alone dismantle the myth that genuine faith always feels calm or certain.

Ordinary Meets Extraordinary

Mary was a young woman living a simple, unfolding life. She was engaged, preparing for marriage, and likely imagining a future that looked ordinary and stable. Her dreams probably mirrored the dreams of many young women in her culture: a home, a family, a steady rhythm of life. Everything made sense. Everything was on track. Everything felt normal.

Then God stepped in with a plan that was anything but ordinary. His calling did not align with her expectations, her timeline, or her sense of preparedness. The angel’s announcement didn’t simply adjust her plans—it shattered the framework she assumed her life would follow. God interrupted her simplicity with a calling that was divine, disruptive, and completely beyond anything she could have anticipated.

This wasn’t a minor shift. It was a total reorientation. God wasn’t asking Mary to tweak her schedule or make a small adjustment. He was inviting her into a story that would change the world. And Mary wasn’t praying for this. She wasn’t planning for this. She wasn’t positioned for this. Nothing about her circumstances suggested she was ready to carry the Messiah. Nothing about her life hinted that she was qualified for such a holy assignment.

God’s timing felt abrupt. God’s plan felt overwhelming. God’s purpose felt impossible. And yet—this is how God often works. He calls ordinary people into extraordinary purposes long before they feel ready. He doesn’t wait for people to be “ready”. Instead, He provides strength, wisdom, and courage along the way.  The calling comes first, and the journey of obedience shapes the person into readiness.

Unqualified, Unprepared, Yet Chosen

We sometimes imagine biblical characters as fearless and unshakable, but Mary’s initial response was deeply human. Scripture says she was troubled, perplexed, and unsure of what the greeting even meant. She didn’t immediately shout, “Yes, Lord!” She didn’t instantly understand the plan. She didn’t pretend to be unfazed. Her confusion wasn’t a sign of weak faith—it was the natural response of someone whose world had just been turned upside down.

The beauty of the story is that God met her in that confusion. He didn’t rebuke her for asking questions. He didn’t shame her for feeling overwhelmed. He didn’t demand instant certainty. Instead, He offered reassurance. He offered clarity. He offered His presence. And in that sacred space—between confusion and calling—Mary found the courage to say yes.

Faith is activated when comfort is interrupted. If everything is predictable, faith isn’t required. If everything is controllable, trust isn’t necessary. God’s greatest works often begin with a moment that forces us to lean on Him in ways we never have before. When God is preparing to do something significant, He often starts by unsettling what is too small, too safe, or too familiar. Discomfort is not the enemy—it is often the doorway.

Disruption unsettles Comfort

Disruption shakes loose the things we cling to so God can place something better in our hands. Sometimes we don’t realize how stuck we are until God interrupts the pattern. Divine disruption exposes unhealthy attachments, limiting beliefs, hidden idols, stagnant faith, and misplaced priorities. It brings to the surface what God wants to heal, refine, or redirect. Disruption is often the clearing before the blessing, the shaking before the shifting, the interruption before the increase.

Human beings are architects of predictability. We love rhythm, structure, and the sense of control that comes from knowing what tomorrow should look like. Our routines become our safety nets. Our expectations become our anchors. Our plans become our comfort. But comfort can quietly become confinement. When God wants to grow us, stretch us, or move us, He rarely does it in the realm of the familiar.

Comfort is predictable. Comfort is safe. Comfort is manageable. But comfort is also limiting. God’s most extraordinary movements—whether in Scripture or in our own lives—almost always begin where our comfort ends. We design lives that feel manageable; God designs lives that become meaningful.

The miraculous almost always happens outside the borders of what feels manageable. Miracles rarely unfold in the places we control; they unfold in the places where we must trust. They unfold in the places where, like Mary, we say, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Scripture consistently shows that God calls people into places they would never choose on their own.

Disruptions Are Doorways to Destiny

Mary’s life was interrupted not to derail her but to draw her into a story far greater than the one she had imagined. Divine disruptions often function the same way. They shift our trajectory so God can align us with His purposes. What feels like a detour may actually be the doorway to destiny.

Mary’s yes didn’t remove the confusion, but it transformed her life. She moved from disturbance to surrender, from uncertainty to participation in God’s redemptive work. Divine disruptions do the same in us—they stretch our faith, reshape our identity, and deepen our dependence on God.

Divine disruptions are often the birthplace of God’s greatest work. They remind us that God’s plans may surprise us, but they never harm us. They may disturb our comfort, but they always lead us toward purpose. 

Mary’s story invites us to hold space for both confusion and faith, to acknowledge our humanity while trusting God’s sovereignty. And like Mary, we may one day look back and realize that the disruption we feared was actually the beginning of God’s most beautiful work in our lives.

 

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Pastor Godwin, FBC Danvers