Delays & Detours
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
My wife and I recently had a romantic date (it was our anniversary weekend!) sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on our way to a weekend of ministry. It took us two hours to travel 8 miles. You could just feel the love. It was frustrating. We couldn’t do anything about it (there were no alternate routes). We watched helplessly as the minutes ticked off the clock. I eventually had to call my pastor friend and tell him I wasn’t going to make the Friday night men’s event I was scheduled to speak at. Bummer.
I don’t like delays and detours. They interrupt my plans, throw me off my game, mess up the details, and tick me off! But they’re part of life. And following God doesn’t give you a ‘pass’:
• Joseph spent several years of his life as a slave and later, in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
• Moses wandered around in the desert for 40 years and never got to enter the Promised Land.
• David had to run for his life for 11 years; after he was anointed to be the next King of Israel!
• Jacob worked 7 years for the right to marry Rachel and ended up with the wrong girl on his wedding night (her sister, Leah)! He had to work 7 more years for Rachel!
Many people walk away from God when they become disappointed and disillusioned by delays and detours. But God promised to lead us and make our paths straight; not eliminate all the obstacles on the journey. Delays and detours help us mature, test our level of trust in God, and no matter how frustrating they may be; they cannot stop you from arriving at the destinations God has in mind for you. Unless you let them. So don’t stray from the path, trust God, and keep walking.
THINK ABOUT IT: Have you allowed a delay or detour to get you off course or ticked off at God? How has that helped you or your situation? Here’s a verse you probably know by heart: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Romans 8:28. If you believe that God is completely trustworthy, what steps do you need to take to patch things up with Him and get back on the path of his blessing? If you're on course, ask God to help you learn from the delays and detours, and enjoy the ride!
