“MANY
ARE ON A DIVINE DETOUR”
A Fresh Word by Al Thomas
a.thomas@myactv.net
I WAS DRIVING TO A LUNCH APPOINTMENT WITH
a
Pastor when I came upon a detour. Because of the detour
traffic became snarled and
I was barely moving. I checked the time and knew that
if this traffic didn’t clear up
soon I was going to be late. I almost fell into an irritated state
when God’s
presence came
upon me. I sensed the Father saying, “I have placed
many of My children on a
Divine Detour and they do not know it.”
1.SOME
ARE FACING UNEXPECTED ROAD BLOCKS IN THEIR WALK WITH GOD…
Generally,
everything seemed to be going smoothly for you. Most battles
were easily won and temptations (although constant) didn’t
usually trip you (1 Corinthians 10:13). Then all
hell broke loose. Those things that you used to handle
with ease suddenly overwhelmed you and you wondered where did
your strength go (Psalm 6:2). So there you are, called
by God and following His plans the best you knew how when things
start to go downhill. Your spirit used to soar with enthusiasm
but now it was hard to get out of bed. Fear not, God is
preparing something new for you, but to bring it forth (here
comes that word), pruning must take place (John 15:2). You
didn’t ask for this but now you must fight the battle (Ephesians
6: 11, 12). You must bite the bullet and keep moving forward. Tremendous
rewards await you if you do not quit (Philippians 1:6). You
decide to keep moving (Philippians 4:13). God nods His
approval.
2.
SOME THINK THEY ARE HARDLY MOVING AND SEE NO PROGRESS AT
ALL…
You
are wrong. If God would have allowed you to keep on the same
old path you were on (Proverbs 14:12) you would have missed the
opportunity (and blessings) He is about to show you. Often,
God forcefully detours us so we will head into the harvest He
has for us (John 4:38). Sometimes, more is accomplished
in the spiritual realm when He makes us wait (Isaiah 40:31) then
when we are ‘busy’ for God. Don’t panic
because nothing seems to be happening. He has pushed the ‘divine
pause button’ to bring you to Him and sit in His presence,
something He has been trying to get you to do for some time now…(Matthew
11: 28-30). Yes, you are moving, only this time He is carrying
you. Yes, progress is being made, but this time, He is
directing it. You prayed for this long ago, so don’t
fight it. You now relax…as He takes over.
3.
BECAUSE OF THE DETOUR, DON’T THINK HIS PROMISES ARE POSTPONED…
Actually,
the opposite is true (Psalm 138:8). Because God is taking
you a different way, the promise will not only come to pass,
but be fulfilled on a grander scale, because you allowed God
to do it His way (Psalm 18:30). Oh yes, you meant well
and your heart was in the right place, but God wanted to show
you ‘a better way.’ And because you decided
not to panic and take a side road (to avoid His detour) God can
now speak with you about His plans and not yours (Jeremiah 29:11). Now,
you realize that you should have taken His detour long ago but
you couldn’t discern the signs. You start to thank Him
for the ‘forced detour’ that He caused because it
will bring you into deeper communion with the King (Luke 24:15). You
smile.
4.
REJOICE, YOU’RE IN GOOD COMPANY AND ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY… God
gave Paul a divine detour (Acts 9) and changed history. Jesus
gave a few fisherman a detour and it turned their life upside
down (Matthew 4: 18-19). God sent the angel Gabriel to
Mary for the grandest detour of all and because she accepted
it (Luke 1: 30-31), you and millions of others are now
in the kingdom of God. They and many others could have
taken the ‘normal
beaten path’ but they would not have changed history. God’s
highway appears before you (Isaiah 35:8) and you need to start
thanking Him for the interruption. Rejoice for the detour God
has placed in front of you. Do not run from it. Many
will be blessed because you said, “God, I don’t
recognize this path, I have never been here before, but because
you say so, I will follow your detour for me.” Remember,
no one said you have to understand at this time the detour God
is making you go through. That will come later. As
for now, take a deep breath, slow down and enjoy the view. So,
don’t worry, keep your eye on Jesus and He’ll let
you know which exit to get off (1 Samuel 3:10).
