“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: but God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea” (Exodus 13: 17, 18 KJV).
A detour means that the direct or shortest way to our destination has been cut off and we have to take an alternate route, a bypass, or a roundabout way that is longer to our destination.
There are not only detours on our nation’s highways; there are also detours on the highway of life; especially for the Christian.
When Israel came out of Egypt, God did not lead them directly into Canaan of about two weeks journey. He instead, to prevent an unprepared Israel from having to fight a war and wanting to turn back, led them through the Sinai Peninsula. This was God’s plan for they were not disciplined nor prepared for war.
Later in Kadesh Barnea, when it was only eleven days journey into Canaan, fearful Israel refused to enter even though she now had a host of fighting men. This was not God’s plan and they took a detour of forty years before entering the land.
There are some detours in our life that God places according to His perfect will. There are other paths we construct that God allows through His permissive will when we rebel against His perfect will. He uses these detours to make us submissive to His perfect will and bring us back on course.
Detours are placed in our life to redirect and force us to take the long way around. These detours are used for discipline and mature growth to prepare us for the place of blessing and usefulness.
As Christians we allow God to intervene, interrupt, and interfere in our lives as He sees fit. A detour may very well mean that we believe we are ready, when in reality, we aren’t ready for what lies ahead and God will take us down a different path to leave us be better prepared. As children of God we should trust Him and obey.
