The Lord used detours, to graciously get His people where He wants them to be or go. The bible is full of stories where the Lord diverted the course or the road his people are on, through certain paths to communicate certain things, or to bring them back into His Will.

The Lord does this to take people out of their comfort zones, place of disobedience and redirect them back on course.

These divine diversions could come with times of isolation and trials.

1. The Lord can use these also for the righteous, as in the case of Job. Job was a righteous man, but the Lord allowed episodes of trials that he was not aware of. Job was not part of the conversation the Lord had with the devil.

We can argue that Job did not deserve what he went through, but he understood the divine will of God. He understood that God could use his body and everything he had for His glory. It is Job that said “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave. The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, praise the name of the lord”. Job 1v21.

2. In the case of Joseph, the Lord God did not reveal or speak to Joseph in a dream about the calamities that would come his way. The Lord could have placed him in the Palace in a more convenient and civil manner, rather than lead him through a very tough journey of pain and suffering.

None of us enjoy a season where the Lord is silent, and when He allows things which are unannounced to suddenly happen to us. Perhaps this is where the verse in Isaiah comes in about His thoughts that are not ours, and His ways not our ways. As the Lords servants, we need to learn to be patient and learn to see the bigger picture.

Joseph said to his brothers when he became the governor of Egypt. He came to understand that it was the Lord who placed him there to save lives. Genesis 45v5.

Beloved, we may not always understand the journey or the methods the Lord uses, but once we get to our destination we will have a full understanding like Joseph in through his journey.

3. Abraham, the father of Faith had to also go through some rough patches; the bible says Genesis 15v6. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. But this did not come without a price of perseverance.

I remember the journey when he and his wife Sarah had to go to Egypt and where he said to his wife to say she was his sister, because he feared the Egyptians. I can understand that his fear put him in a compromising position. But he had to learn to trust the Lord.

Abraham received the promise at age 75, and Isaac the promise was born when Abraham was 100 years old. 25 years, in waiting, was a long Journey with a range of divine diversions, but Abraham continued to believe God for the promise.

Habakkuk 2v3 says “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak and not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come to pass, it will not tarry”. Amen!

I wonder how long we are prepared to wait on God without doing our own thing.

4. Moses was on a journey that was unpredictable, Moses had to lead a diverse people and had to deal will many challenges as a leader.

These people were slaves in Egypt for over 200 years, and now had to be rehabilitated in the wilderness. Moses led approximately 600,000 people.
When they finally got to the Promised Land, Moses sent out 12 spies to scout the land and though they brought back a good report about the land in terms of its fruitfulness, two reports come about.

The first a doom report that they were not capable to conquer the Canaanites and they did not believe that God could help them.

Joshua and Caleb brought a good report, but the nation was unwilling to take the land. God then decreed a detour that they would wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. Numbers 13v31-33.

A bad report caused the Lord to lose confidence in his people and diverted them back into the wilderness.

It took a journey of 40 years and another generation lead by Joshua and Caleb, from the previous generation to enter the Promised Land. This was a long, long journey that required a lot of patience.

Perseverance: is defined as not giving up. It is persistence and tenacity, the effort required to do something and keep doing it until the end, even if it is hard to do so.

Paul would say of his challenges on his journey in 2 Corinthians 4v8 -10 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed.

We carry in our bodies the death of Jesus so the life of Jesus can be revealed in us”

5. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit. When you are led by someone, you have to trust the leading and judgement of that person. You commit your life in the person’s hands. Jesus was led into the Wilderness to be tested and tried. In this Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. This was a near death experience, the bible said, and then the tempter came. When he was hungry the tempter came.
*The test is always severe when you are most vulnerable.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12v9 “my grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness”

6. Paul prayed to God 3 times for a thorn to be removed in his life. Surely he deserved a breakthrough as a devoted believer, and great Apostle of the church of Christ. But the lord answered, “My grace is enough, and He did not remove the thorn.
Paul had to carry that cross. Paul did not quit because of Gods denial. He was not moved and understood. He was not deterred. He continued to labour for the Lord.

Beloved of the Lord, I am sure we can associate with the word today.

- I am sure many of us may be on a detour as we speak. The heavens could be silent, and you seem to be alone.

- I am certain a divine suddenly has caught some of us off guard and you have asked your prayer partner and the intercessory team to pray with you for this thorn to be removed.

- I can imagine that you are wondering how this divine diversion could have happened to you, as a righteous person, knowing that there is nothing the enemy can nail you on this morning. You are praying and fasting against this diversion.

Remember the Lord God said to the enemy, Have you seen my servant Job?

-You might been in Josephs shoes this morning, totally caught off guard, swept off your feet, you might be in a pit, or in prison.

- Beloved of the Lord, I encourage you to follow through, go through the path, the way will seem familiar to you. If you are in the wilderness and being tested, know that you will come out on the other side like Joseph, Joshua, and Jesus.

- Take heart that it is just a process you are going through.

-This divine diversion will link you to the main road in front. Don’t give up, don’t throw in the towel as yet.

- In your weakness, His power will be made perfect.

Allow God to use you at this time in Jesus name Amen!

Prayer:
Lord we pray for your guidance today. We are saying, Lord here we are use us.
Lord we don’t always have to understand what you are doing. Help us to trust and obey.
Help us to accept that your thoughts are not ours, neither are your ways our ways.

Thank you for your word today, in Jesus name we pray.

Amen!