“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
Driving through the French countryside near Blois one day recently, I was admiring the surrounding beauty as I followed the GPS to my destination. The sky was itself an azure landscape dotted by giant puffs of cotton. The land, verdant farmland spreading out to my right, was replete with fields of various crops in hues of green and beige. It was indeed idyllic.
As I continued my drive, I spied a curious sight ahead. Drawing closer, I realized an ancient bridge spanned across a patch of land and then stopped abruptly. It looked as if the left side of the bridge had been shaved off. Perhaps the ground beneath it where grass was now growing had at one time been a flowing stream or river. I passed it all too fast as I pondered where this “bridge to nowhere” had gone.
Reflecting on my own life, I could see similarities to that abruptly-ending bridge. Thinking I was heading in one direction, my life came to a grinding halt. My journey took an unexpected detour when my brother died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 2009. There were no orange cones or construction signs pointing in the direction I should go. The lane ahead of me dimmed as the road appeared to dead-end.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God is talking to the Israelites who were prisoners of the Babylonians. Their lives had taken a sudden detour as Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, took them captive. Perhaps they felt life had suddenly lost control and veered sharply off to one side. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord reminded them that He was still in control and that He loved them and had a plan for their lives, a plan not to harm them, but to help them. He desired to give them hope and a future. But in the meantime, they were to settle into this new land and make the most of it, building homes, planting gardens, and carrying on with their lives. This detour, for now, had become their new way of life.
I wonder how that message from God was received by the Israelites. Did they trust God had their best in mind? Did they have hope for their future? Could they see that life’s detour had purpose and meaning? Could they see that their detour had actually become their new path? It is in the difficult times that we grow the most and become who we were meant to be all along.
While the detours of my life since 2009 have been unforeseen, filled with potholes and unexpected twists and turns, unlike that “bridge to nowhere”, God’s detour for me has become my new journey. Although it’s been difficult at times, I am thankful that no matter where the road takes me, Jesus walks with me. When I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him.
Even when the detour signs go missing and the way up ahead abruptly changes, I trust that God has a plan to give me hope and a future, one that is even better than I could ever dream or imagine. He can take your detours and dead-ends, too, and turn them into new paths of hope. He never wastes any potholes, ditches, or worn out pavement. God is the master engineer of every road and bridge as they all lead directly to Him.
Heavenly Father, You are sovereign over all, including my journey through life. Open my eyes to see you at work in the detours and ditches of life as You prepare the way for me to go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Pont Saint-Bénézet in Avignon, France, built in the 12th century over the Rhône river, rebuilt in the 13th century after a war, and then left damaged by floods over the centuries.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Driving through the French countryside near Blois one day recently, I was admiring the surrounding beauty as I followed the GPS to my destination. The sky was itself an azure landscape dotted by giant puffs of cotton. The land, verdant farmland spreading out to my right, was replete with fields of various crops in hues of green and beige. It was indeed idyllic.
As I continued my drive, I spied a curious sight ahead. Drawing closer, I realized an ancient bridge spanned across a patch of land and then stopped abruptly. It looked as if the left side of the bridge had been shaved off. Perhaps the ground beneath it where grass was now growing had at one time been a flowing stream or river. I passed it all too fast as I pondered where this “bridge to nowhere” had gone.
Reflecting on my own life, I could see similarities to that abruptly-ending bridge. Thinking I was heading in one direction, my life came to a grinding halt. My journey took an unexpected detour when my brother died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 2009. There were no orange cones or construction signs pointing in the direction I should go. The lane ahead of me dimmed as the road appeared to dead-end.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God is talking to the Israelites who were prisoners of the Babylonians. Their lives had taken a sudden detour as Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, took them captive. Perhaps they felt life had suddenly lost control and veered sharply off to one side. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord reminded them that He was still in control and that He loved them and had a plan for their lives, a plan not to harm them, but to help them. He desired to give them hope and a future. But in the meantime, they were to settle into this new land and make the most of it, building homes, planting gardens, and carrying on with their lives. This detour, for now, had become their new way of life.
I wonder how that message from God was received by the Israelites. Did they trust God had their best in mind? Did they have hope for their future? Could they see that life’s detour had purpose and meaning? Could they see that their detour had actually become their new path? It is in the difficult times that we grow the most and become who we were meant to be all along.
While the detours of my life since 2009 have been unforeseen, filled with potholes and unexpected twists and turns, unlike that “bridge to nowhere”, God’s detour for me has become my new journey. Although it’s been difficult at times, I am thankful that no matter where the road takes me, Jesus walks with me. When I seek Him with all my heart, I will find Him.
Even when the detour signs go missing and the way up ahead abruptly changes, I trust that God has a plan to give me hope and a future, one that is even better than I could ever dream or imagine. He can take your detours and dead-ends, too, and turn them into new paths of hope. He never wastes any potholes, ditches, or worn out pavement. God is the master engineer of every road and bridge as they all lead directly to Him.
Heavenly Father, You are sovereign over all, including my journey through life. Open my eyes to see you at work in the detours and ditches of life as You prepare the way for me to go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Pont Saint-Bénézet in Avignon, France, built in the 12th century over the Rhône river, rebuilt in the 13th century after a war, and then left damaged by floods over the centuries.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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