Try as we may to have virtually every aspect of our lives planned out, there are times where detours pop up, forcing us to change course. When we’re faced with a detour, what do we do? Reverse course and go back where we started? Or do we take the detour and accept the change to our plans?
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Have you ever been on a long road trip that included a detour? In recent years, your phone, tablet or GPS device may have given you a heads up about an upcoming detour. However, back when travelers were forced to rely on roadmaps and road signs, detours could be a bit more surprising.
In most cases, detours in life don’t include a GPS system that alerts you to an impending detour. Sure, you may hear rumblings about upcoming downsizing at your job, but when you get handed a folder that detail your severance package, it still feels like a detour you didn’t see coming. You may have noticed that you and your spouse were arguing more than usual, but when you’re served with divorce papers, it’s like your life has thrown you a totally unforeseen detour. Doctor’s reports, rebellious children, abandonment by friends, and any number of other things can seem like a detour.
The men and women that you read about in the Bible were humans just like you. Some of them experienced detours, meaning we have wonderful examples of how to handle unforeseen changes on our journey of life.
Jesus Calls Peter
Matthew 4:18-20 (ESV)
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.
Detours don’t always have to be bad things. For some people, the call of God on their lives to become a missionary or enter fulltime ministry can seem like a major detour. Sometimes God’s will for your life doesn’t line up with anything that you were expecting. Perhaps you’ve got your career goals all mapped out, you know how much you need to work and what you need to accomplish. That’s all a good thing, but when God calls you to give up that career for His service, things can get scary.
Peter and his brother, Andrew were fishermen. Their father was a fisherman, and we can assume that they were basically carrying on the family business. However, when Jesus walked past the Sea of Galilee, he saw the pair of brothers and immediately threw them a detour.
How did Peter and Andrew respond? “Immediately, they left their nets and followed him.” Sometimes God’s plan for us throws a detour into our life’s roadmap. How should we handle those moments? Just like Peter and Andrew did. It may be scary, but if God has called you, He is able to keep you. Peter and Andrew wound up getting to play a role in God’s plan for humanity because of their willingness to take the detour. You can too!
David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17:32 (ESV)
And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Sometimes life’s detours put us in a position that seems scary. David wasn’t going to war in 1 Samuel 17. His three oldest brothers were at war, and his father just sent him to the battle to take them some food. However, when David got there, he heard the taunts of Goliath. God was putting a detour in front of David.
Keep in mind, in the chapter before this one, David had already been named as the next King of Israel. The prophet, Samuel, had already come to Jesse’s home (David’s father) and anointed him as Saul’s eventual replacement. David went back to taking care of the sheep, but you know that he was already planning his future.
Goliath was a detour; a really big detour at that. Standing nearly ten feet tall, Goliath was the greatest warrior in the Philistine army. However, David heard the blasphemes coming from Goliath and decided that it was his responsibility to take the giant down. Armed with five smooth stones, a slingshot and most importantly, the power of God in his life, David killed Goliath.
Sometimes our detours put us in the middle of a battle. However, the same God who was with David is with each of us. We can run toward the giant like David did and know that we have the victory.
Paul’s Conversion
Acts 9:6 (ESV)
But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.
Paul was on his way to Damascus with warrants to arrest and kill members of the local Church. At this point, his name was still “Saul,” and he was one of the religious leaders of the day. Not only did he not believe in Christ, but he aided in the murder of those who did.
On his journey, the risen Savior appeared to Saul in a bright light and offered him the salvation that he had fought so hard to silence. Suddenly, Saul was faced with a decision: go ahead with his plans (he had people with him who could carry out the task after he was stricken with blindness) or accept Christ’s forgiveness. It didn’t take Saul long to accept forgiveness for his sins and begin a new life that even included a new name.
However, Paul’s detour didn’t result in a change to where he was going. Instead, God simply changed Paul’s mission. God still sent Paul into the same city that he was going to. However, He sent him there to connect with a local body of believers. The results would be revolutionary! Paul would go on to plant churches all over the region and write roughly 2/3 of the New Testament.
God’s detours are always for our benefit. They can be scary, they can be life altering, but they’re always good for us. When you’re faced with a detour, trust God. The same God who called Peter, empowered David and changed the course of Paul’s entire existence is the God who is calling you. Trust Him. He is good.
A Closing Prayer:
God, we both know that I didn’t see this detour coming. However, my trust is in You. I know that You have plans for me that go well beyond anything I could have ever imagined for myself. Help me to fully rely on Your plan going forward. My life is not my own, it belongs to You. In Christ’s name, Amen.