Divine Detours

Last week on our way to an appointment, my husband and I were rerouted via GPS. This turned out to be a lovely surprise, leading us along an unplanned scenic route. However, I recognize not all detours are pleasant, welcomed or convenient. Yet, unexpected detours of every kind are a part of life in this world. And God often uses divine detours for our good and His purpose.

We see evidence of this repeatedly throughout the biblical narrative. For instance, God led Abraham on a detour to Egypt to avoid a famine. He also caused the children of Israel to experience a forty-year detour due to disobedience, not to mention Joseph’s pit and prison detours, both of which eventually led to his divine destiny.

Likewise, in the Christmas story, we witness the reality of divine detours in the lives of ordinary people that God chose for extraordinary purposes.

Mary’s Divine Detour

Mary’s divine detour began the day Gabriel announced she would become pregnant with the Messiah. Yes, she was highly favored. And yes, she was chosen by God for an extremely significant purpose. Yet at the same time, she was only a young girl—a girl engaged to be married, and one who had maintained her virginity for her future husband. But God’s plans for Mary didn’t include the wedding day or night she had always dreamed of. Nor did it include Joseph being the biological father of her first child. Instead, God planned a divine detour for Mary, an unplanned path that would radically and wonderfully change her life forever.

Joseph’s Divine Detour

Joseph’s divine detour began when he learned his future wife was with child. Yes, Mary was divinely impregnated. And yes, he was chosen to be the earthly father of the Messiah. Yet clearly the baby was not his. Overwhelmed by the news of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph planned to quietly end their engagement. Thankfully, however, his plan was effectively shut down after an angel spoke to him in a dream reassuring him that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit. Like Mary, Joseph would not experience the wedding day, wedding night, or first year of marriage that new couples dream of. Yet, also like Mary, his divinely appointed detour was for a much higher and greater purpose than he could possibly imagine.

Shared Detours

Once married, the faithful couple might have thought they were done with detours for good. But the truth is Joseph and Mary continued to be divinely rerouted, only this time together.

Detour to Bethlehem

The first shared detour was late in Mary’s pregnancy, when a Roman census was decreed, requiring all citizens to register in their hometown. For Mary and Joseph, this meant an approximately 90-mile trek, on foot no less, to Joseph’s ancestral town of Bethlehem. Understandably, the necessity of this journey was highly undesirable, as it would be difficult for Mary. Yet the young couple’s temporary discomfort and inconvenience only served to fulfill the prophetic Scriptures written of their son, who was in fact the Messiah.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf. Micah 5:2 NLT

Detour to Egypt

Once again, Mary and Joseph are divinely detoured but this time not due to a census. Instead, it was to protect their young son’s life. Unfortunately, wicked King Herod, driven by jealously, ordered the infanticide of all male infants in an attempt to kill Jesus. Yet God, who is supremely wise, had a plan from the beginning to protect Jesus that included a divine detour for the holy family to Egypt.

The Wisemen’s Detour

And the final characters to be divinely detoured in the Christmas story are the wisemen. I find their story personally telling, as although they were in fact wise men, they were not proud men. I know this to be true, as despite their intellect, they also sought the Scriptures. And their wise search not only led them to meet The Star of Bethlehem, but it also protected them as they heeded God’s warning, by taking an alternate route back to their homeland.

A Lesson to Be Learned

As we read the stories of Mary, Joseph and the wisemen, we are reminded that God uses divine detours in the lives of His people for their good and His purpose. Yet, in the present we cannot always understand the reason for God’s redirect. And it is precisely for these times, that we must remember that God is leading us, just as he did Mary, Joseph, the wisemen, and countless others throughout biblical history, as He still does today.

So, take heart knowing God is sovereign over your journey. It might take time, and it may very well include a divine detour or more. But in time—God’s time, He will faithfully lead you as you diligently seek Him, along the best, most blessed path for your life.

Pray

Father God, thank you for faithfully leading me as I journey through life. When I encounter life’s detours, cause me to remember that you are divinely directing, protecting, and guiding me. Thank you for loving me and for always being with me. Help me to trust you when my life path is redirected, knowing you are leading me for our good and your greater purpose, amen.

Community Question of the Week

Can you think of a time when God worked through a detour in your life to take you where He wanted you to be? What was it? How did you respond?

Encourage others with your response HERE!