Detour

When I am driving alone and come upon a sign that says "detour" I generally go into a complete panic - particularly if I am driving someplace I have not driven before. With my head I understand that I just need to follow the signs and I will generally get back out onto the direction I was going. But because of my fear I begin to think of all the "what ifs". What if the the sign is marked wrong, what if I just miss the sign, what if I end up going in a direction I've never been, etc.

I was talking on the phone with someone the other morning and we were remarking about how life has twists and turns we do not plan on. You are very contentedly going one direction in your well planned life but then all of a sudden there is that "detour" sign. Sometimes we have to leave the well planned direction to travel someplace else for a time.

Joseph found the same happening to him. Joseph is rocking along in life as the favored son with perks the other sons didn't have. Detour - his jealous brothers sold him into slavery. The Lord was with Joseph and he becomes quite successful in the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Detour- Potiphar's wife tries to entice him and when he wouldn't give in, she lies and says he did things he didn't and he ends up in prison. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. He was there two years and became ruler over Pharaoh's house and people after he interpreted a dream Pharoah had. After all these detours in Joseph's life we see that he is able to save his family from famine because of the position he held in Pharaoh's house. Joseph told them that God sent him before them to save their lives. In Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 39-50 will give you the account of Joseph's successes and detours. In all of these twists and turns in his life, the Lord was with him and guiding him because He had a plan for him. Joseph remained faithful to the Lord even in the darkest times and the twists and turns in his life.

We all face those times when our direction in life seems to take a "detour". Many times I respond in these circumstances the same way I do when I come upon a "detour" sign - fear of the unknown. Instead of panicking and being fearful as I do when detours come into my life, we need to remember that God, who is faithful, is leading us. He will indeed show us the direction we need to go to place us where He wants us to be. The same promise He gave Israel when they were to possess the land is true for us "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)