God’s plan or a detour? There are times when we don’t understand what the Lord is working out in our lives. While the Lord sees our life from beginning to end, we can only see where we are. When I was assigned a pastoral internship 2000 miles from my parents, our seven-year daughter cried for hours after hearing that news.
Later we went on to live an additional eight years in the Northwest, which seemed like a detour that would never end. In hindsight, what we thought was a detour was a significant time in our life of growing in faith and trusting the Lord. Through this experience, we all benefited in ways we could not imagine. The path that seemed like a detour was God’s plan for our life.
Joseph’s Enslavement in Egypt Seemed like a Detour
When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he ended up in Egypt. He may have wondered if God had forsaken him or why God would send him there as a slave. If I were Joseph, I would have asked the Lord, “Why the detour?”
God’s plans often seem like detours, but during these times, God refines us, changes us, and we become different people on the other side. An illness can bring greater compassion. A loss of a job can bring humility. Losing a loved one can draw us closer to the Lord and a greater appreciation for those around us. You may think you are on a detour right now, not realizing the Lord is doing something extraordinary in your life He could not do in any other way.
Detours are God’s Intervention in Our Lives
God has a plan for our life that often takes intervention to unfold. When life seems like a detour, talk to the Lord about it. Seek out the Lord in prayer and take time to open his Holy word. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we find the Lord loves us so much that He sends us on what we think our detours to transform us, not to harm us.
With God, there are no detours but plans for our life that surprise us. Romans 12: 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [1]
The behavior and customs of the world are the actual detours of life, not God. As we grow in our relationship with the Lord, we become more interested in His plans than our plans for our life. As we mature in faith, we begin to see God’s detours as His plan for our life. To hear more about when God’s plan or a detour, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/potiphars-house
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 12:2). Tyndale House Publishers.