Taking the Scenic Route
Have you ever been through a rough patch in life that you thought would NEVER end? Join the club!
One Sunday, my pastor put some things in perspective for me when it comes to enduring long tests and trials. He said that sometimes God takes us the “scenic route” when struggling with hard times. In the back of my mind, I thought, “BUT WHY?!”
I felt myself becoming frustrated as I reflected on a hardship that I had been battling. I prayed and fasted; however, it seemed as if I couldn’t catch a break. There have been many times when giving up seemed like the best option. There have also been times when I felt myself getting mentally AND physically worn out from trying to remain faithful.
Needless to say, my pastor’s message was right on time. He went on to explain why taking the scenic route before being delivered is actually beneficial to our spiritual growth. What he stressed during his sermon is that we first have to trust God to lead us. No matter how frustrating the path may get, we must keep going in faith.
Weariness comes with the journey (I can tell you all about that feeling from experience). It’s even difficult to bear when you fall into the trap of comparing your journey to others. You begin to wonder why God is bringing them out of their misery and you’re still fighting.
REGARDLESS OF HOW WE FEEL, THE KEY IS TO PUT EVERY OUNCE OF TRUST IN HIM.
Once we learn to trust God, we’ll begin to notice all of the “scenery” that God wants us to take note of along the way. Sometimes God does provide instant healing, but if He delivered us from pain right away EVERY time, would we never learn anything from it? We would remain “baby believers” forever, but God wants us to mature spiritually to fulfill the purpose He has for us.
With this in mind, we’ll understand that there are lessons to be learned in times of pain. God uses this time to deal with our shortcomings and other areas of our life that have not been healed. He also uses this time to guide us along safer routes with detours. If we go straight into the path that we desire to take, we can run into roadblocks and danger. However, if we allow God to direct our path, He’ll take us around all of the mess and unnecessary hurt that we would’ve brought on ourselves.
It’s just like when your GPS reroutes your path due to an accident or some type of dangerous road issues, so you end up taking a longer route home. In the moment, you may be upset because you’re ready to get off the road but think about what the GPS blocked you from.
THIS SERMON REMINDED ME TO STAND OUT OF GOD’S WAY AND ALLOW HIM TO TAKE ME ON THE ROUTE THAT HE HAS CHOSEN FOR ME.
It’s tough holding on when you don’t know when deliverance is coming, but the reward is simply knowing that our Father has us. The journey is worth it when we allow Him to take the wheel. So, in the words of my pastor, “Sit back and enjoy the ride!”
