December 13, 2025 - Divine Disruption

 Divine Disruption

by Hattie Patillo

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Key Verse: Luke 1:28-29

The angel went to her and said, 

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! 

The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words 

and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 

We can all think of traditions and routines we hold dear to. And if you are like me you keep a mental plan that you constantly adjust and hope that you can make even a little of it work out.  

Most of us pray for peace to come with that plan in some form, yet God often answers with disruption—holy interruptions that shake what’s comfortable so He can reveal what’s truly important. It’s in these moments that we quietly face a truth we rarely speak out loud: sometimes our desire of safety suffocates our passion. And God loves us too much to let our calling die for the sake of life staying comfortable. 

Think about the stories of Scripture—nearly every major move of God begins by disrupting someone’s carefully prepared plans. Noah left behind his life for a calling that got him called crazy and brought a wave of change. Moses was living a quiet life when God disrupted his escape with a burning bush and a rescue assignment that required him to lead people he never imagined he would relate to. 

And then there is Mary, her life is a story many of us hear so often this time of year. She probably had a life plan she expected to follow, at least somewhat closely—until an angel’s words turned everything upside down. What looked like disruption to her and so many around her was actually a journey that not only saved her but generations after her. While our disruptions may look much different than the major one showcased in the Christmas story, the theme stays the same: disruption is a divine tool of redirection to move us toward our calling. For Noah it resulted in an eternal promise, for Moses - the freedom of Israel, and for Mary- the birth of the savior. Every one of these people overcame their fear of change and grief of their lost plans and spent time looking for the value in their new life because they all had one thing in common: They didn’t want safety if it cost them their passion. 

But what about all that peace you’ve been praying for? Maybe you’re in the midst of it. Biblical peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God in all that trouble. Peace is a mindset that many of us leave behind because we are too busy doubting a God that has never failed us. So maybe the bravest thing you can do is not pray for comfort but change and hold tight to your faith through the disruption because change is terrifying but maybe staying the same is worse. 

Please, Lord, join me on the road, 

enter into my closed room, and take my foolishness away. 

Open my mind and heart to the great mystery 

of your active presence in my life, 

and give me the courage to help others 

discover your presence in their lives. 

Amen.

Henri Nouwen