As you drive to your destination each day, you probably do not think twice about coming across possible unforeseen detours. What is your reaction when you actually encounter a detour sign? You may become upset because you know that detour is going to cost you time. You may also panic because that detour may lead you to unfamiliar territory. Detours will happen in life. The unpredictability of detours can cause us anxiety and fear when we are trying to get to our destination.
God will use detours for your good. You may be in a season where you feel lost. Detours have become your normal. Every time you try to keep moving forward you find yourself in an alternative route. The unfamiliarity of the detours is causing confusion in your life. You feel like you have lost so much time. You may even question yourself and the decisions you have made. God did not place that detour for your torture. God will make up that lost time. Sometimes God needs you to detour for your protection. If you tried to escape the detour, you would have run into a danger zone. If you did not quit that job you would have endured an unsafe environment. If you did not leave that relationship you would have experienced dangerous situations. Unforeseen detours work in your favor. Ultimately, you will be thankful for the detour in your life.
Detours can feel isolating and ambiguous. Why did God place you here when it seems like this path has nothing to do with your journey? It is not in vain. It is uncomfortable when you are experiencing the unknown. Maybe God needs you to step out of the comfort of your heart. To get to the next step, He needs you to learn how to operate in the unconventional and inconvenient. There are a multitude of life lessons that we can learn from God during detours. Your detour is not a mistake. Detours will always lead you back on the right track. Eventually, something in sight will become familiar to you. After the Israelites had been let go by pharaoh, God could have led the Israelites straight to the land of the Philistines. This would have been a shorter route. Instead, He detoured them to the wilderness towards the Red Sea. He knew there was a possibility that they could go back to Egypt after being freed from pharaoh. Imagine if the Israelites had gone back to what God had freed them from. Do not interfere with your detour. God is there walking with you. Your detour will lead you to your promised land. Your detour will have victory written on it for the world to see His glory. You could be one unforeseen detour away from living in God’s promises for your life. Trust the detours.
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” -Exodus 13:17-19
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” -Proverbs 3:6
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.” -Psalm 25:4
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