Road Construction And Obstacles. 12/13/2018

Good Morning World.

I hope today finds you all well physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I am always available by comment for prayer if you need it.

Today my morning is beginning with a hot cup of Door County Christmas Coffee.

As I traveled around this summer and fall in my car I could not help but notice (and at times be perturbed) all the road construction. Traffic jams were hard to avoid, long highway detours with not enough signs for directions steered me wrong on many occasions.
In one detour that I experienced I started to follow the orange detour sign and then 5 miles later I started to wonder if I was going the wrong way. I hadn't seen another sign in five miles. I back tracked only to find out that where I started my back track from was only a mile away from the end of the detour.

Life is a lot like highway construction. It is full of bumps, weird turns, lane changes and detours. What should we do when life puts a bump in our road or a major detour?

Maybe the road of life you’re traveling seems off track from your desired destination. It may even look like you are going in the wrong direction. But, do not be concerned when God takes you on His detours because you will always arrive at the correct location.
In another Biblical example, Paul and Silas were two men in the New Testament who traveled around preaching the gospel. Both of these men held true to the path of righteousness and went wherever the Lord guided them. On two occasions in Acts 16, the Holy Spirit blocked them from going where they had planned.
Acts 16:6-10 tells us,

“They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport Troas. That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans." (MSG)

If Paul would have gone the way he and Silas were planning, God knows what could’ve happened. Wisely, they chose to heed the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit and because of their obedience, God revealed to Paul the correct path for them to follow. Paul knew the importance of making time to seek God in prayer. I’m certain that he called out to the Lord and asked Him for confirmation on the next move to make


Proverbs 16:9 says,

“The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord shows him what to do." (NLV)

It’s easy to become irritated with God when you hit a  detour. But, that isn’t fair because God only wants to keep you on the right path. He is not there to hinder you; He is there to assist you in knowing what avenue to take. So, the next time you’re faced with a detour, turn to your personal tour guide, God, and He will direct you on the rest of your journey.

Maybe your detour will become a blessing to someone else!

Have a great day.
Marty