When God Changes Your Plans

Have your plans ever been interrupted? Mine have.  

In Acts 20, Paul’s journey shows us something powerful about plans and purpose. The first 21 verses paint the picture of a man who was strategic and intentional. He mapped routes, revisited churches, encouraged believers, and built structure for the future. Paul was a planner.  

But then verse 22 happens. He says, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”

I don’t know about you, but I can feel the tension in that line. The tug between planning and prompting. Between structure and surrender. Between what we want to do and what God suddenly asks of us.  

Paul had a plan, but he also had a posture that said, “God, interrupt me if You must.”
Your plans are good, but His purpose is better.

The question is, are we willing to let God interrupt our plans too?  

Because here is the truth. God is an interrupter. He interrupts comfort to grow character. He interrupts routine to reveal purpose. He interrupts your schedule to align you with His story.  

So how do we stay open when He does?

1. Prepare

Plan ahead, but hold it with open hands.  

Preparation positions you, it does not control you.  

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

2. Pause

Before reacting to an interruption, pause.  

What feels like a problem might actually be God’s prompting.

3. Pray

Do not rush to fix it, talk to God first.  

Ask, “Lord, what are You doing in this?”  

Prayer turns interruptions into instructions.

4. Pivot

When God redirects, follow fast.  

Faith is not just trusting His plan, it is moving with it.  

Be intentional, but stay interruptible.

Take a moment to think about the places where your plans have been interrupted.

Invite God into that space. Let go of what you thought it would look like and ask Him to show you what He is doing instead.

Lord, help me to hold my plans loosely and Your purpose tightly.  

Teach me to pause, to pray, and to pivot when You interrupt.  

May every detour draw me closer to You.  

Amen.

Make It Personal

1. When was the last time one of your plans got interrupted? How did you respond?  

2. Do you make room in your schedule for God to redirect you, or do you resist change when it comes?  

3. What might God be trying to teach you through an interruption you are facing right now?  

4. Which step, Prepare, Pause, Pray, or Pivot, do you tend to skip most often?  

5. How can you remind yourself that His purpose matters more than your plans?