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February 18, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n What if the Unexpected Is From God?<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.\u201d John 10:27 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n Why did I pick Friday at 5 p.m. to get my prescription?<\/em> The line was long. My patience was short. I wanted to get my weekend project started, not stand and wait.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when the texts started coming. A loved one needed my help. But helping them would mean changing my plans, which I didn\u2019t want to do. The more texts that came, the more irritation flooded my system. I decided to answer later.<\/p>\n Then the next morning, another text came from someone else needing my help \u2026 in the middle of time I had set aside to spend with Jesus.<\/p>\n Ironically (or not), I had just finished fasting and seeking the Lord to hear His voice more clearly. So how would I respond to these texts? Would I allow myself to slip into an old, wrong attitude? Or would I listen for His voice? Might this irritating interruption actually be an invitation from God?<\/p>\n This time I listened to the voice of Jesus, and I helped bring peace to the one who was distressed.<\/p>\n Throughout Jesus\u2019 ministry, He continually used interruptions as invitations to glorify His Father. In Luke 5:17-26, a paralyzed man was lowered from a rooftop as Jesus was teaching, and Jesus stopped to heal him. In Luke 8:40-48, on his way to heal Jairus\u2019 daughter, Jesus stopped to heal a woman with an issue of blood. And these are only two in a list of many examples.<\/p>\n In John 10, Jesus was speaking in Jerusalem with the Pharisees, a group of religious teachers who thought they knew exactly how to hear from God: through rigid law-keeping. But Jesus interrupted their legalism with a new word picture describing who He is: \u201cI am the gate for the sheep \u2026 I am the good shepherd\u201d<\/em> (John 10:7-11, NIV). As He expanded His teaching, He said, \u201cMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me\u201d<\/em> (John 10:27).<\/p>\n When I got those texts, I had to ask myself, Am I listening to His voice?<\/em> I\u2019d prayed to hear God better, yet when He spoke to me through the needs of another person, I almost didn\u2019t listen.<\/p>\n As you reflect on your day-to-day life, where do you often experience interruptions? A crying child? A line at the coffee shop? A friend who needs a listening ear? Could these disruptions in our days actually be triggers for you and me to move toward following our Shepherd?<\/p>\n Perhaps the crying child is an opportunity to slow down, bring comfort, and give ourselves a break from work as well.<\/p>\n Maybe the person at the coffee shop could use a smile, a free latte, or an invitation to church.<\/p>\n And the friend in need? God might be giving us an opportunity to grow in empathy and compassion.<\/p>\n Good Shepherd, help me to ask: Is it an interruption or invitation? Help me to discern Your voice and follow where You are asking me to go. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n The transformation we\u2019re longing for doesn\u2019t come from fewer interruptions or better circumstances \u2014 it comes from God\u2019s Truth getting inside of us and reshaping our perspective<\/strong>. That is the heart of She Speaks.\u00a0<\/strong>Three days of teaching, worship, and hands-on guidance will help you step into what God is doing through your story \u2014 not someday when life is perfect but now, right where you are.\u00a0<\/strong>Early-bird pricing is available while supplies last<\/strong>, so don\u2019t wait to say yes. Get your tickets today, and we\u2019ll save you a seat!<\/p>\n Memorizing scripture is a powerful way to help us discern what the Good Shepherd\u2019s voice sounds like. Download your free copy of \u201cVerses that Stick: 7 Ways to Memorize Scripture in the Middle of Life\u2019s Chaos\u201d here.<\/p>\n Psalm 31:15, \u201cMy times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n When you read the Gospels, where else do you see Jesus experiencing interruptions that led to ministry?<\/p>\n How can you follow His example and live out the truth of Psalm 31:15 today, trusting that your times are in God\u2019s hand? Share with us in the comments!<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries February 18, 2026 What if the Unexpected Is From God?LYNN COWELL Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201cMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.\u201d John 10:27 (NIV) Why did I pick Friday at 5 p.m. to get my prescription? The line was long. My patience was short. I wanted to get my<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[86,269,268,5559,182,270,181,288],"class_list":{"0":"post-19105","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-daily","9":"tag-devotional","10":"tag-encouragement","11":"tag-february","12":"tag-god","13":"tag-proverbs","14":"tag-today","15":"tag-unexpected"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
LYNN COWELL<\/span><\/p>\nOUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
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