To Detour or Not to Detour

Have you experienced a scene like this? Not necessarily in Denver, but somewhere. I’m pretty sure my blood pressure goes up just at the sight of this photo. I hate getting caught in traffic jams like this one. It can throw a huge wrench into your entire day’s plans.

There are times when you have carefully planned out what time to leave the house with what should be the right amount of time to reach your destination. But then, just as soon as you get up to speed on the freeway, all forward movement ceases. There are no alternative routes or exits in sight. There is no way out. You’re stuck. There is nothing you can do to avoid the situation and get on your way. You just have to wait. And exhibit patience. And arrive late to your destination. (I hate being late!)

This happened to me over this past weekend when I left the house to go to Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live event up in Ft. Collins. A 97 mile trip (that should have taken 1½ hours, sans traffic) ended up taking me 3½ hours. I checked the traffic right before I left, and at least my path from Colorado Springs up to Denver looked clear. As soon as I got onto the freeway, there was a helpful sign announcing, “Crash ahead. Expect delays.” Thanks for the heads-up, but it did me no good since there was no detour available. I was stuck in an unexpected traffic gridlock with no way out. I had to sit and wait.

If you have a smart phone with a good map app, sometimes it can steer you towards a detour. It will ask if you’d like to avoid the traffic jam, and then it will direct you off of the main road, out of the mess, and back on your way. Although it may take you miles out of the way, at least you’re still moving. On my way back home from the Beth Moore event, I encountered two more time-consuming crashes, but in each of these cases, I was able to take a detour and keep moving.

In all my time on the road this weekend, I was thinking: don’t you wish that in life we could avoid certain gridlocks and traffic jams? I’m not talking about real traffic, but about what happens in our lives. What if there was an app that could alert us to what’s coming up and it could give us the option of taking a detour. You know, it could say something like: “Job loss ahead. Proceed with caution. Turn here to avoid.” Or “Serious illness and pain ahead. Exit the freeway to avoid this area.” Or maybe, “Relationship hurt and strife. Take the next exit to maneuver around it.”

The pain or the gridlock in front of you might be a result of your own error, but most often (as in literal traffic), it’s probably not. It’s the result of something or someone else outside your control. Whatever the cause, you’re in a mess. Headed straight for, or in the middle of, something that is painful, is a delay, or a long trek through the wilderness. And there is no way out. You have to just buckle up and endure it until you’re past it all. You may even be straining your eyes towards the horizon in an effort to see the end of the gridlock, but there is nothing but an endless line of brake lights as far as you can see. No way out.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Romans chapter 8. There are so many good verses in there. Verse 27 is very well-known and often quoted. You're likely familiar with it. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV). So if God uses everything to work for good, He must mean that He uses even the traffic jams of life –all the junk that we would just really rather get to detour around. 

Why can’t we take a detour in order to avoid all the pain, the waiting, the wilderness, and the trauma? If God is using everything for our good, could it be that we would miss out on some of the good if we were allowed to detour around it? Could it be that particular element of good would be missing from our lives if that piece of the puzzle was missing? This is not to say that God caused the crash or the source of pain or purposely sent you through it, but He definitely says that He uses it for good. But could the good that is gained be worth the pain? Exactly how good could that good be if we have to endure whatever pain we’re walking through in order to receive it?

I want to draw a possible connection between Romans 8:28 and another verse further up the chapter. In verse 18, the apostle Paul says that he considers “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Is there a connection between these two verses (other than the obvious answer of verses 19 through 27)? Could it be that our traffic jam pain is not worth comparing to the good that God will work out for us if we persevere until we arrive at our destination?

When I was sitting in that traffic mess trying to get to Fort Collins, I seriously considered turning around and going home. Just forget it. A conference is not worth driving in traffic for 3½ hours. I had never been to one of these conferences so I didn’t really know what to expect. What if I drove that long for a disappointing experience? But I had a responsibility. I volunteered to serve, so even though I would be very late, I kept going. And you know what? It was worth the drive and the frustration. After I got there, I really forgot about the traffic frustrations. 

How much more will we forget about all of our frustrations and pain once we are past our difficulties --whether that be at the end of a particular season of trial or at the end of life when we reach our final destination and see Jesus face to face?

For further reflection on this idea, listen to the song “For the Heartbreak,” sung by the group Downhere. This is a song my husband, Chris, suggested. The lyrics are very fitting, particularly the final phrase which asks, “What if the road to the goal were the easiest road and I never learned what I know?” 

To detour or not to detour. That is the question.

When the Lord Says "Watch This!"

Remaining strong and hopeful while waiting on the Lord can be so difficult –especially as your season of waiting grows long or as the situation grows hopeless.

I wonder if a friend of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus may have offered this verse to them as a word of encouragement while they waited for Jesus to show up and heal Lazarus. Someone may have said to them, ‘I know you are concerned because Lazarus is sick and even though you sent word to Jesus, he hasn’t come yet. Remember what the psalmist said –wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’

As Lazarus grew sicker and sicker, were Mary and Martha able to wait patiently for Jesus? Were they able to remain strong? Did they continue to have hope in their hearts? What happened to their hope when Lazarus died and Jesus still had not come?

I’m reminded of the end of the wedding scene in The Princess Bride when Buttercup is completely shocked and devastated because Westley did not come in time to rescue her from Prince Humperdink. It was with a deep sense of disappointment and hopelessness that she uttered, ‘he didn’t come.’

Like Princess Buttercup, Mary and Martha must have wondered why Jesus didn’t come and why He didn’t make it to Bethany “on time” to heal Lazarus and save the day. They must have wondered why Jesus was so slow. Didn’t he know what was going on and what they were going through in His absence? Didn’t He love them and their brother Lazarus? 

I find it interesting that John notes for us that “although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days” (John 11:5-6 NLT). His delay was not because He didn’t love them or want what was best for them or everyone else around them.

As the stone was sealed over the tomb, Mary and Martha must have seen their situation as finished and hopeless. As everyone knows, death is final and there was nothing else that could be done. It was over. Even Jesus couldn’t do anything for them at this point. Lazarus was dead, as was their hope. And this was all because Jesus was too slow in getting to them --at least in their understanding.

The apostle Peter was there and witnessed this entire event. I wonder if he had this in mind at all when he wrote, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness…” (2 Pet 3:9 NIV). How do we understand slowness? God not acting on our personal timeline? Or not acting according to our own finite understanding?

The Lord says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:4 NIV). His thoughts and ways are not just a little bit higher than ours. We can’t just reach a little higher or think a little deeper or concentrate a little harder and be able to wrap our minds around the Lord’s ways and thoughts, just as we can’t stretch high enough to reach into outer space or even to touch the clouds in the sky.

Mary and Martha’s plan was for Jesus to come before Lazarus died and for Jesus to restore Lazarus to health. While this would have been a good, miraculous event, it was nothing compared to what Jesus did for them. He didn’t just restore health to a living person. He brought a dead, rotting, stinking corpse back to life. While healing Lazarus from his illness would have been nice, raising him from the dead after four days was a glorious, spectacular, incomprehensible miracle that no one expected --a miracle that could only be performed by the One who “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20 NIV).

Raising Lazarus from the dead was far beyond what Mary and Martha could have asked or imagined, and they would have missed it if Jesus had succumbed to their plans, their requests, and their timeline. Jesus waited until the situation seemed completely and utterly hopeless before He stepped in and said “Watch this!”

So again, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Ps 27:14 NIV) and wait for God to step into your hopeless situation and say “watch this!”

I'm Waiting

I like to do things fast. I like to drive fast. I often find it difficult to stay under the posted speed limit on an open road, so cruise control helps keep me legal. I prefer to walk fast –no slowly strolling through the mall for me. If I have to be at mall, it’s because I’m on a specific mission. Let’s get where we’re going, get it done, and get out. I read fast. I type fast. And in spite of being from Texas where we’re supposed to talk in a slow drawl, I generally speak fast. Have you ever been on DiveBomb Alley, the huge swing at Six Flags that lets you fall at about 80 mph? Swinging fast is fabulous! You know one thing that it is impossible to do fast? Waiting.

I love that quick line in The Princess Bride when Vizzini exclaims, "I'm waiting!" It drives me crazy to have to wait. It might be waiting in traffic that is not moving at all; waiting in a doctor's office way past the time for my appointment; waiting for my tax refund when it should have arrived weeks ago; waiting on my computer while that irritating rainbow wheel spins incessantly; waiting for someone to return a phone call or an email; waiting to see where God is leading us next; waiting for healing, for provision, for deliverance, for a word from God --- we all have to wait for something. Maybe you are better at waiting than I am, but I suspect most of us have some degree of difficulty with waiting.

The Bible verse that I have been meditating on and reciting to myself lately is "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14 NIV). Sometimes we may feel like God is so slow in moving and that we have been waiting so long for Him to move, to speak, to heal, to bless, to deliver, to reveal…but “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you…” (2 Pet 3:9 NIV). Learning to wait…learning to be patient…learning to wait patiently is part of our being conformed to the character of our God. Some have to wait longer than others. Abraham waited a very long time, but he finally received what God had promised him “after waiting patiently” (Heb 6:15 NIV). It could be a long wait. It could require a great deal of patience.

So, whatever it is that you’re waiting for, take time today to be still, to be calm, to sit in the presence of Lord, and let's remind each other to “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Stubbornness vs. Persistence

If you’re a parent (and even if you aren’t), you’ve probably seen a stubborn kid in action –a toddler who plops himself down in the middle of a store and refuses to walk with you…a preschooler who flat-out refuses to wear the clothes you laid out for her…an older child who repeatedly refuses to clean his room or who will not stop asking for whatever it is that they want so badly. You think to yourself (or you might even say out loud) “Why are you being so stubborn?!”

In Luke chapter 11, Jesus tells this strange story about what seems to be a very stubborn man. Jesus says this man bothers his neighbor after they have all gone to bed, to ask for food to feed his unexpected houseguests. The man refuses to leave without any bread, so in the end, he gets the bread because of his “brash persistence” (Luke 11:8 VOI).

The man in the parable sounds extremely stubborn (and downright annoying, I might add), but this story is told as a positive example of persistence or perseverance in prayer…or is it stubbornness? Is there a difference? The word “stubborn” seems to have a negative connotation. It is associated with “rebellious” in Deuteronomy 21:18 and Psalm 78:8, and Jesus is “deeply distressed” by stubborn hearts in Mark 3:5. But perseverance is always applauded (see Rom 5:3-4; 2 Thess 1:4; 2 Pet 1:6). What’s the difference since they both sound like not wanting to give up?

The Greek word translated as “stubborn” in Mark 3:5 is porosis, meaning “stubborn, unwillingness to learn…mental stubbornness, closed mind” (LN 27.52). The Greek word in 2 Pet 1:6 (and the other examples above) translated as “perseverance” is hypomone, meaning the “capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances” (LN 25.174). So, being stubborn and being persistent or perseverant are not the same thing; in fact, they are quite the opposite of each other. The stubborn person refuses to say “yes,” is hardened, closed-off, and refuses to move. The persistent or perseverant person is strong and refuses to stop or to give up.

Jesus’ parable about this annoyingly persistent man who receives what he requested because he refused to give up is followed by this message:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking.” (Luke 11:9-10 VOI)

The asking, seeking, and knocking verbs used here are not one-time events. They are active, present tense verbs that encourage the continual asking, seeking, searching, and knocking done by someone who is persistent, who perseveres, who refuses to give up –someone who prays with “shameless persistence,” who refuses to go back home without bread for his guests.

As you seek provision from God, don’t ask just one time and quit. Don’t be stubborn, closed-minded, and refuse to move like the tantrum-throwing toddler, but do be persistent and persevere in prayer. Continuously pray “give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3 NIV). Continuously ask God to provide, continuously seek that which you want to find, and continuously knock on doors so that one of them will be opened for you.

What would the church in this country look like, and what would this country look like if those of us who follow Jesus would be persistent in prayer like this? Keep praying for that family member to begin to follow Jesus. Keep praying for God’s will and His path for your life. Keep praying for fellow believers to stand strong and remain faithful through difficult times. Keep praying “your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matt 6:10 NIV). Paul summed it up nicely in his instructions to the Thessalonian church: “Never stop praying” (1 Thess 5:17 NLT).