Have you ever felt that God has stopped you in your tracks? An expected sale that didn’t go through. Or a relationship that ended abruptly. Or a leadership role that didn’t materialize. You may have thought, and planned, and prayed about it, and believed fully that God was with you and for you. Then suddenly the rug was pulled out from under you as God shut you down.

Some theologians teach that God wants us to be happy. This philosophy is not found anywhere in Scripture. God does indeed bless His people—those who follow Him—but those blessings are directly connected to our obedience to His Word. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Notice the gifts of our desires only occur when our delight is in the Lord. God will never endorse a path that is in contradiction to what He has instructed us in the Bible.

God also warns us specifically against pursuing any path that leads us to be satisfied in the things of this world. He calls us to be holy, which means set apart from the world. 1 John 2:154-17 teaches, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

When something happens in life or leadership that is a hard “stop”, we should look at the situation or circumstance from a spiritual perspective. Is God shutting us down? There could be a number of reasons this is the case:

Sometimes a hard stop is the mercy of God. Everyone has a “just missed it” story in life. You see an accident happen on the road just ahead and think, “If I had left a minute earlier, that would have been me.” God grants us mercy sometimes by stopping us from doing something that is against His purposes or harmful to ourselves. We may not grasp the danger in the path we are taking but God does, and often chooses to be merciful. Exodus 34:6-7 tells us that “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”

Mercy takes many forms. Forgiveness is mercy. Withholding punishment is mercy. Acts of compassion is mercy. Kindness towards us is mercy. When you experience a hard stop in life or leadership, consider whether God may be showing His mercy toward you or others involved. A response to God’s mercy is to also be merciful. Matthew 18:35 warns, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Think about your own situation and whether you are being shown mercy by God, and to whom you might also be merciful.

Sometimes a hard stop is the rudder of God. The children of God are being directed by the will of God. He desires us to live for Him and by His ways. Because we have the Holy Spirit of God in us, God may redirect us at times. 1 Peter 1:14-16 reminds us to “live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”

When you experience a hard stop in life or leadership, consider whether God is turning you toward another path. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” A response to redirection is to acknowledge our trust in God, and allow Him to direct our path. 

Sometimes a hard stop is the testing of God. The Father does indeed test us through life and leadership. 1 Corinthians 10:30 says, “God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Though God promises we can endure testing, don’t miss it: He will allow us to be tempted and tested. It’s not a question of if, but when.

When you experience a hard stop in life or leadership, consider whether God may be testing you through the situation. A response in testing is to go to the Word of God, the Bible. When Jesus Himself was tempted, He responded by quoting Scripture. Examine whether the path you were on was consistent with God’s Word.