Divine Detours

Have you ever been on a journey and been excited about your destination, until you were met by one obstacle after another? Perhaps you had a flat tire or were stuck behind a long line of slow-moving traffic. Maybe the bridge was out, and you had to follow a detour through unfamiliar territory. Maybe you even got lost along the way.
Were you frustrated? Discouraged? I’ve been there.

Maybe your journey is more than a road trip. Perhaps it’s your journey in life.

Are you on a journey to know your purpose in this world and find a sense of fulfillment? Would you like to know who you were created to be and what you were made to do? Do you know God? Do you want to?

In a world where many people insist that we can all have our own truth, do you want to find absolute truth and a peace that passes all understanding?

Many people have detours on the way to their destination. Those who choose to follow the Lord are often met by obstacles. As we study the scriptures, one story after another shows God’s people dealing with opposition. Read the Old Testament stories that tell us about Job, Joseph, David, Naomi, Esther, and others, including the prophets. They all persevered through difficult situations.

When we’re met with challenges, what should we do?

Job’s children died, his belongings were destroyed, and he suffered from horrible painful diseases. His friends blamed him for his problems, and his wife told him to curse God and die. How did Job respond? In Job 13:15, Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him…”

After Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, he was eventually thrown into prison because of a lie from Potiphar’s wife. How did Joseph respond? He forgave his brothers, and in Genesis 50:20 he told them, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…”

The Bible calls David a man after God’s own heart. Why? The Bible clearly shows us that David sinned with Bathsheba, and he even had her husband Uriah killed. But David repented, and God forgave him.

Like David, we’re all sinners, and we need God’s forgiveness. That forgiveness only comes when we repent of our sin and receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave His life and precious blood to take the punishment for the sins of everyone in the world, but only those who believe the gospel and receive Christ can be forgiven. Has your sin led you on a detour away from the path God wants you to be on? Repent and turn back to God. God allows U-turns and second chances.

King Solomon is often called the wisest man in the Bible, yet he made many mistakes when he chose to pursue the things of the world. After learning that worldly pleasures are empty and unfulfilling, he wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

In the New Testament the disciples fled when the Lord Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Afterwards, Peter denied he even knew Jesus. When he repented, the Lord forgave him and received him back into fellowship and service. Peter became a leader in the early church, and he paved the way for many people to come to Christ. Peter writes in I Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Christians because he thought they were false teachers. After he was saved through a personal encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, he became known as the apostle Paul. Though he suffered greatly through many trials and tribulations, Paul served the Lord faithfully.

In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul writes, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

He also writes in 2 Timothy 2:3, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told his disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Before that day, Jesus had already told them, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

In John 16:32-33, Jesus warned them, “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Peter, Paul, and many other early Christians were persecuted and killed for their faith in Christ. Today, persecuted Christians around the world continue to suffer and die simply because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re a Christian, please pray for the persecuted church and pray for the wisdom, grace, and strength to do the work God has called you to do.

If you choose to follow Christ, don’t be surprised by the obstacles, detours, and persecutions you may face. They’re a normal part of our journey as we live to serve the Lord. Just remember that God has a plan and a purpose for your life. When we meet the Lord Jesus face to face, it will be worth it all to hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”