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

We are so often tempted to script our lives down to the last detail—setting expectations, timelines, and outcomes. But Oswald Chambers reminds us that God doesn’t work according to our blueprints. He comes when it pleases Him (Galatians 1:15), often in ways we never saw coming. The key is not predicting His movement but preparing our hearts for it—making space in our plans, prayers, and expectations for the unexpected. God delights in surprising us, not to frustrate our control, but to awaken our trust.

To live with faith is to live in a posture of expectancy—watching, listening, leaving room for God to break in. This doesn’t mean passive waiting, but active openness: seeking Him daily, staying attuned, and surrendering the need for predictability. God is never late, but He is often surprising. The challenge for us is to leave Him elbow room—to keep our lives open enough that when He moves, even if it’s not what we expected, we can say with joy: “It pleased God.” —DH