During the Detours
Author:
January 09, 2019
“For I know the plans I have
for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11, NIV
Alice was on her annual father-daughter
vacation when she was twelve years old. On one of their adventures, they kept
running into detours. No matter which way they went, it seemed their plans
wouldn’t come to pass.
Alice was growing more
frustrated at missing scenic moments she’d been looking forward to for weeks. When
she asked her father why he wasn’t upset, he simply said, “God’s plan is always
so much better than mine.”
Those words came back to Alice
years later when she was graduating from college. She’d hoped to spend a year
in a remote village, teaching English to the local children. But the funding
never came through and Alice had to scrap her plan.
At first, she struggled with
what happened. She was certain that God had told her to do this so why was He
blocking her goal after all of that? Why didn’t He move supernaturally and
arrange all of the pieces for her?
While Alice waited, she took a
job at a local advertising agency. While she was there, she met and fell in
love with one of the agency’s new clients. He was an entrepreneur who was
passionate about education in third world countries.
If Alice had gone on her
original trip, she wouldn’t have met her husband or given birth to their two
beautiful children. Now she says, “The detour is always worth the wait! I never
would have guessed what God was doing back then.”
It’s frustrating when we have
a goal or desire that keeps being thwarted. But keep in mind that God always
has a good purpose for your detours.
God, help me! This doesn’t make sense…I thought I was doing
the right thing. I was sure of it, only now it’s not coming to pass. I know
this is one of Your detours so help me to be patient and keep trusting You
during this season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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