Delays, Detours, and Distractions

“A highway shall be there and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.” Isaiah 35:8

I love going on road trips. I take great pleasure in watching the scenery whiz by my window and see how ocean turns to hills and hills to mountains and mountains to prairies. I love new foods in different places and speech that becomes a drawl or is rapid and clipped. What do the people in these different places do and say and eat and pursue? It all fascinates me.

I enjoy the long conversations with my husband. I delight in spotting the wildlife along the way—antelope running across the plain, wild burros, mustangs, the occasional flattened armadillo. I even relish stopping for gas and running in for snacks and stretching my legs in a place I may never be again.

Sometimes along the way, however, there are orange cones, flagmen, and pilot cars. There may be a wait so long that I just turn the car off.  I may feel stuck. I may feel this is an unwanted interruption. There is a reason for this delay. Somewhere there is something wrong that needs to be made right. The delay is ultimately for my own good.

At times things are so wrong up ahead where I cannot see that I am directed on a roundabout detour. This is not where I wanted to go. I thought I would be over there headed for my destination and here I am in this place. It seems so wrong. I feel lost. Unknown to me in the moment is the reason I have been rerouted. Someone who sees a bigger picture is in fact showing me a safer way to go. In the long run it will be for my good.

At other times, I am foolishly distracted by the scenery, the wildlife, the other drivers. When that is going on, my eyes are not on the road. I have forgotten my primary mission. I may endanger others or myself.  I must return to the business of driving. It is for my good and the good of others.

All along my journey there is a GPS secured on the dash. It knows where I am going. It has information I do not have. This device gets me safely to my destination, choosing the best route, informing me of speed limits, giving me an estimated time of arrival, warning me of turns up ahead. All I have to do is keep my eyes fixed on the highway and do what the GPS tells me.

Our journey with God is a road trip that has a glorious destination. We have a GPS known as the Holy Spirit who knows where we came from and is leading us to our desired haven. He warns us of dangers ahead. He guides us on a holy highway, taking twists and turns in stride as we follow His directions.

When we are delayed, we can be assured He has a good reason. He can make the wrongs right again. His timing is perfect in all things. When we are detoured and it seems we are stuck in a strange place, we can be assured He knows how to get us to just the place we need to be. When we are distracted, he protects us from dangers and deception. The key is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and “drive” in obedience, trusting Him. He is for us in every delay, detour, and distraction.

Father, You see us on this Highway and even when we are foolish, You will bring us back to you. We will trust You in the delay and in the detour. In the distraction we will return to our first love and the paths You have ordained for us. Amen.