This wasn’t the life I had planned. It wasn’t part of the carefully filled out “five-year” plan I completed in senior English. This wasn’t what I strived for, what I imagined, what I dreamed of. It was nothing I would have wanted for myself. By now, I should be putting a down payment on a house.

I should have my New York Times bestseller published. By now, I should be traveling the world, fulfilling my dreams. I should be living on my ranch, grooming my horses, and waiting for my husband to come in from taking care of the crops or whatever handsome cowboys do. By now I should be “higher up” using my “fancy” degrees I struggled so hard for. I should be fulfilling that great call God has upon my life in the church and ministry.

By now, I should be doing something important, life-changing, incredible, and glorious. And yet….I am still here. Still wondering, circling, in the wilderness, and unsure what God has planned.

I think I can confidently say that I’m not alone in thinking this. Alone in being the only one that feels like a character in someone else’s life. I’m sure David thought, “by now I should be king” after being anointed by Samuel years before. Joseph thought, “by now I should be a leader”. I’m sure Sarah thought, “by now I should be raising God’s promised child”. Instead, David ran for his life away from Saul, Joseph sat alone in a prison cell, and Sarah was still barren year after year.

I used to have this idea that being in God’s will meant that I would find myself in a “good” place–a place where I was moving forward, towards a life of joy and peace and love. It couldn’t possibly be in the place where I question my own place and purpose in the world. I’ve learned that I am in the center of His will as much in the trying, difficult times as I am in the easy times.

Lately, it seems like every time I begin heading towards a direction I want to go, God places a neon flashing “DETOUR” sign in front of me with another route I have no choice but to follow—a windy, dark, and sometimes confusing route.

The dictionary defines a detour this way: to turn aside; a roundabout way, a deviation from a direct way; a route used when the direct regular route is closed; a circuitous way, a deviation from the original plan. I believe the Lord has placed various “detours” in my life for several reasons:

• To protect me from unsafe destinations

• To show me the scenic view of His glorious handiwork

• To slow me down to look around for lost, lonely people along the freeway

• To delay my destination so I’m really ready when I get there

• To redirect me and steer me to another destination altogether

• To test and prove my willingness to follow His leadership

Or perhaps my sin has altered my pathway and the consequence is a roadblock directing me for road repair and healing to take place before I begin again.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, God placed so many different detours in the lives of those He loved so much. When the children of Israel disobeyed God and chose not to enter the Promised Land, God put them on a 40-year detour. Paul was redirected on his second missionary journey into Asia as “the Lord prevented him” steering Him to open doors in Greece. Jesus, Himself, took a detour through Samaria in John 4 because He “had to” to reach the Samaritan woman.

Regardless of the reason for the detour, the Lord is still directing, leading, and governing with His perfect plan and timing. God used a cloud to lead Israel in the desert. When it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped. If the cloud rested for any length of time, they stayed put. There is nothing in Scripture to explain why it stopped or started. They learned to simply trust, follow, and wait.

We too must learn to slow down and wait for that perfect timing. I’ve grown to have a love-hate relationship with that word: wait. It’s a bittersweet command in Scripture because although patience leads to greater glory, it’s the process of waiting that is just so difficult, especially in my fast-paced world and quick-witted mind. Detours cause us to slow down and wait. It’s no wonder that “wait on the Lord” is so often repeated.

…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. -Isaiah 40:31

Just because the place I’m in today is less ideal does not mean it is not where God wants me to be. Sometimes, the blessing is in the waiting because that is the place where you must learn to truly trust God for who He is. I may never see the big picture as He does, but as long as I see Him, nothing else matters.

He will make my life unfold just the way it needs to. He’s preparing me in this waiting. 

David, Joseph, Moses, Paul, and Sarah were all tested, tried and fine-tuned by God on His potter’s wheel before He set them back to fulfill their dream. We must be men and women in motion, but allow God to open and close many doors along the way.

God may be using these divine detours to tell us “not here, not yet, and not now” to prepare us for the glorious “promised land” that awaits us after our journey in the wilderness. Until we reach our specific promised land, my prayer is this:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a twenty-something Tucson native saved by the overwhelming grace of Christ. I have a bachelors in Chemistry from the University of Arizona and currently work in a research lab while also pursuing my masters degree. I love creating videos for my church, listening to country music, camping and hiking, binge watching Gilmore Girls and spontaneous road trips. My favorite days consist of a great cup of coffee, a good book, and a comfy chair watching the rain pour. I long to see young women thrive in relationships with Jesus knowing He always has immeasurably more in store for us.