Leave Room for God

“When it pleased God . . .” (Galatians 1: 15). As servants of God, we must learn to make room for Him—to give God “elbow room.” We plan and figure and predict that this or that will happen, but we forget to make room for God to come in as He chooses. Would we be surprised if God came into our meeting or into our preaching in a way we had never expected Him to come? Do not look for God to come in a particular way, but do look for Him. The way to make room for Him is to expect Him to come, but not in a certain way. No matter how well we may know God, the great lesson to learn is that He may break in at any minute. We tend to overlook this element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly—God meets our life—“ when it pleased God . . .” Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides. —Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

God rarely arrives on our schedule or according to our carefully laid plans—but He does come, and often in the most unexpected ways. Oswald Chambers reminds us that the key to experiencing God's presence is not to predict how He’ll show up, but simply to remain open and expectant that He will. “When it pleased God…”—those words carry the weight of divine surprise, of a holy interruption that shifts everything. We can fill our days with agendas and strategies, but if we don’t make room for God to break in, we may miss the very moment He chooses to move. Keep your heart tuned to His presence. Let your routines be flexible enough to allow divine interruptions. Live each day in quiet readiness, not for a certain outcome, but for God Himself to step in—at any moment, in any way He pleases. —DH