Much of our life can seem like a detour can't it? There are things we set out to do or desire to do, but then we hit the detour of life that seems to take us in the opposite direction of what we hoped, dreamed, and even planned for our lives. The detour may be a job loss, a death in the family, an illness, the sin that has been done to us, obstacles that Satan is trying to put in our way, or the consequences of our sinful choices. Life has a way of knocking us down, discouraging us, and convincing us that things won't get better. If we aren't hit by a detour, we seem to be spending much of our time recovering from the previous one.
Thankfully, there is a God who is not only sovereign and in complete control over the universe that he created, but also all the details of our lives, including our detours. What seems like a detour for us, is actually God's means of working out his plans in our lives. In fact, it is in the midst of a detour that God does much us his redeeming and sanctifying work in us. Why is that the case? Because we really don't know what we truly believe and what sin lurks in our heart until we experience the pressures and stressors of life's detours.
It is easy to praise God and share what you believe when it is smooth sailing and there is much life around, but it is a different story when you have to put that faith into practice while driving on a broken down road that lacks any sign of life. I can say I believe God is sovereign, loving, and good, but the detour is where I really demonstrate what I believe, and it gives God an opportunity to show his faithfulness, power and love for us. If I am honest, I feel like much of my life right now is a detour.
I believe God has called me and gifted me for pastoral ministry. I love preaching and teaching the word of God. However in the last 10 years of pursuing it, only about 6 years of it have been in full-time ministry, and only 9 months of those years were spent as a lead pastor of a church. All I really have to show for it is a mountain of debt, a minivan, and we are living in a two bedroom apartment with my wife and 3 kids. I carry much guilt and shame about how things have turned out so far for me in ministry, and there are often times like I made a mistake pursuing ministry.
However, God has done much of his redemptive work in Jess' and my life during the multiple detours we have experienced in the last 10 years. He has challenged what we believe about him and he is building in us a stronger belief of him so that we can see how big and sovereign he really is over the universe and our story. Along with that, he is addressing our idols of comfort and security, shaping our beliefs, producing in us joy and contentment, and shattering our ideas and expectations of pastoral ministry. This hasn't been easy, and it has been very painful and discouraging at times, but because of the detours, we have been able to see God's goodness and faithfulness to us, and how he has been making us more like Jesus.
If you feel like life is taking you through a detour right now, may you be encouraged to know that you are not the only one right now because the Bible shows us that God takes all his children through the detours of life. The overarching story of the Bible is one huge detour for where God wants to take humanity in his relationship with them. The story opens up with God creating all of the universe, including humanity. He places Adam and Eve in a garden where they have perfect fellowship with God. Then sin enters into the story severing the relationship between God and humanity which sets off a chain reaction of sin and suffering in creation. Then God makes a promise to restore the relationship with humanity and renew creation from the effects of sin through a promised rescuer. All of the stories that take place in the Old Testament work towards this goal
Then the rescuer comes. Jesus who is fully God and fully human enters the scene. He calls people to repent and turn to him, he gathers a group of followers from the Jews and the rest of humanity who would believe and know God. He heals the sick, brings the dead back to life, he tells storms to cease, he cast demons out of people, he provides forgiveness for the social outcasts, he lays down the foundation for God's kingdom to be built on earth, and then he is killed. It would seem like the story had taken another detour, BUT three days later Jesus rose from the dead, alive and restored. He calls his disciples to go out into the world to share the gospel to the world so that a people from all tongues and tribes would believe in Jesus. He ascends back to heaven and he sends his Holy Spirit to empower his disciples to do what he has called them to do. The Church is established and grows as the gospel goes out, and it continues to be built until this day. Jesus is coming back soon and when he does he will dwell on earth forever with God's people in a city. The end.
The detour doesn't get the final say, God does. He orchestrates the detour in such a way that he accomplishes his plans and blesses his people. God is not only the God of the well-paved roads of life, but also the detours of life, no matter how terrible and long they are. This is true for all of us not just in a macro level as his Church, but also true in our individual lives. The Bible is filled with countless stories of men and women who encountered the detours of life, but it is because of those detours that they had a deeper knowledge and experience of the living God. Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, but would wait several decades before Isaac would actually be born to them.
The people of Israel were in Egypt for 400 years before they were set free and made a returned to the land that was promised to Israel. They would wander 40 years in the desert before they would make it to the Promised Land because of their sin and distrust God who set them free from Egypt. Moses was destined to be the one who would set Israel free from Egypt, but after killing an Egyptian he would live 40 years in another land shepherding his father-in-law's sheep before God would call him to the task of setting His people free. He would face even more detours along the way in his ministry to the people of Israel, but experience a roadblock at the end of it. God takes him the top of the mountain and shows him the Promised Land, but tells him he won't enter because of the sin he committed in the wilderness.
Then you have King David, he would be anointed the king, but wouldn't officially become the king until King Saul died, which was about 15 years after David was first anointed. He spent much of those years on the run because King Saul wanted to kill him. There are countless others in scripture who experienced detours along the way such as Joseph, Job, Gideon, Hannah, majority of the prophets, Elizabeth and Zechariah. God was incredibly faithful to all of them. We can't forget the most important person of them all who would experience his own detour in life. Jesus, the great rescuer and Saviour of the world would be born in a stable, his family and he would move to Egypt to escape the hand of Herod when he was only a few years old, and then move back to Nazareth after Herod died. The Saviour of the world would be silent for over 25 years, other than the account we have of him when he is 11 years old in the temple. It wouldn't be until he is in his 30's that he would begin his earthly ministry. No sooner then it started it seemed to be over because he would be killed. However, his death wasn't the end of his ministry, but only the beginning of his ministry and his Church. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is still at work ministering and growing his Church, and calling people to repentance so that they may be forgiven of their sins and have new life in Christ.
If you feel like your life has taken a detour, be encouraged because what seems like a detour for us is actually God at work accomplishing his plan. They are not a setback for us, but the means by which God moves us forward in our relationship with him and his redemptive plan for our lives and his people. God doesn't send us into the detour without a means and a power to sustain us through it and bring us to the other end of it. He doesn't send us through the detour to punish us, even though we may be experiencing it because of our own sin, but he has sent us through the detour to bless us with his grace and presence.
I want to leave us with a few scriptures to roll around in our head and heart. May they bring comfort and strength as God takes us through the detours of life.
1) As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)
2) "Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all" (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)
3) The LORD works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster (Proverbs 16:4)
4) "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified" (Romans 8:29-30)
Comments
Post a Comment