"For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV
The road of life doesn't always go the direction we think it is going.
Much like the canyon road that my husband and I take into town and back home, there are twists and turns along the way. It is especially noticeable on moonlit nights when the moon seems to move its location. Heading west into the canyon the moon is behind us as it rises from the east, but not too far up the road, the moon is suddenly in front of us, and further still to our right or our left. Occasionally we encounter things like rock or mud slides or even cattle drives that temporarily delay our trip. There have even been times that the road has been closed due to fires in the canyon, and alternative routes have to be taken.
Recently the detour was not on the road to town, but in our personal life as a health issue for my husband caused changes to plans we had for a family trip. Our initial plan to drive to Colorado changed to riding with our son and his family, which also altered their initial plans for the trip. It would have been easy for any of us to grumble at the changes, had our perspective not been right. But we saw it as a marvelous opportunity to spend greater time together instead of a difficulty.
Perspective is everything.
While my husband and I visited with my sister and brother, my son and his family went on a side trip to another area in Colorado. On their way to pick us up, an overturned semi-truck on the main road sent them over the top of a mountain instead, adding another 3 hours to their trip. But it also let them see vast beauty in the Colorado mountains they would have missed otherwise.
Keeping our focus fixed on the Lord's will over our own is paramount, because the enemy of our souls will use roadblocks and detours to try to distract and discourage us. Learning to see God's hand in everything helps to reduce worry and stress when the detours and roadblocks come.
I love how the Scriptures constantly remind us of His faithfulness and His trustworthiness. Memorizing them helps bring them quickly to mind when times of stretching grate at our soul.
One of my favorites is Psalm 119:165 which says "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them stumble." When trouble comes (and it always does) it is one of the first verses to come to mind. Knowing the verse before it makes that peace possible. "Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgements." (Psalm119:164)
You see, when I am praising God for Who He is, and trusting Him for the path He leads me on, I don't get distracted by the road blocks or detours. When I am seeking His face, no matter where the journey takes me, I am not tripped up by the rock slides of diversion the enemy throws in the way.
Looking for God's hand in every thing has helped me to see life with wonder and awe, even when I have been detoured from the way I thought I was heading.
Just as the road trip to Colorado with my son and his family turned into a wonderful memory, and the detour they had to take over the top of a mountain showed them God's amazing handiwork, we can all find the same as we seek after Him. Because any place HE is, is beautiful.
May you always see His hand holding you and may His grace and joy abound in your life.
To Him be the glory forever.
