The Unseen Life, Part 28

​Transitions in the human life cycle can be stressful, and at times, traumatic. But disruptions and changes remain very much a natural part of our present existence. These inconveniences can either inure us towards change or shield us against them. But when these potential shifts originate from Divine intervention, our attitude and approach will determine how obedient we are to God’s guidance. If only we are more tuned to His promptings! Below, are several biblical narratives that illustrate for us how God abruptly redirecting a person’s life or path. Although most of these stories dealt with important Biblical personalities, there are a few pertinent lessons that we can gleam from them. We shall just highlight a few here.
 
God suddenly tells Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you,” promising to make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:1–3). Abram leaves his settled life in Haran, Ur, on the basis of a word and a promise, with no map except God’s guidance. 
 
Samuel is sent to Jesse’s house, where all the older brothers pass before him, but God chooses the youngest, David, who is still out with the flock. In one unexpected visit and anointing, David’s trajectory changes from anonymous shepherd to the Lord’s chosen king-in-waiting. 
 
After years of slavery and imprisonment, Joseph is called up in a single day to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and is made second in command over Egypt. When he later reveals himself to his brothers, he interprets all these turns as God having “sent me before you to preserve life,” reframing his whole story as a divine redirection. 
 
Peter’s triple denial of Jesus is followed by bitter weeping, then by a decisive post‑resurrection restoration and a renewed commission to “feed my sheep.” This inner reorientation becomes visible at Pentecost, where the once-fearful disciple suddenly preaches boldly and sees about three thousand people respond in one day. 
 
Across these and other encounter stories in Scripture, several motifs recur. Firstly, the change is often initiated by God, not by the person’s long‑term planning (viz., sometimes a direct call, a vision, a providential crisis, or even a warning). They frequently involve leaving familiar places or roles: whether it be a homeland or occupation, social status, or even religious assumptions. Furthermore, the sudden moment is now and again preceded or followed by hidden years of preparation, but the turning point itself is unexpected (e.g., Moses’ call at the bush, Joseph’s imprisonment and service in Egypt). Finally, the new direction is usually tied to God’s larger purposes; nonetheless, they involved a personal or individual determination to obey. 
 
Not so long ago, while in conversation with a good friend, a sudden strange notion interjected itself into my train of thoughts as we were bantering on property-related issues; that my friend ought to downgrade his housing situation fairly soon! I communicated this apparently counter-intuitive suggestion to him, not fully understanding the reasons behind it. He thought about it for a few seconds, then brushed it aside. I dropped the subject. Three months later, while we were having tea one afternoon at a coffeeshop, the same thought returned, this time the urgency was much stronger! He said the time was not ripe yet to sell his home. I took a step back and again changed the subject of our conversation. Six months later, he suddenly fell very ill. On my hospital visit with him, he confessed his regret not downgrading his property soon enough. He had been the main financial decision-maker in the family. He passed on within a couple of days; leaving a huge void in his wife’s life.