“Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me…” Jeremiah 1:9
When Life Takes a Detour
Jeremiah was a young man when he was called by God to help change the course of history. Like a lot of people, he came up with excuses as to why he was not qualified to be the one to do this. Like many young people, Jeremiah probably had hopes, dreams and plans for what he was going to do with his life. This intrusion would prove to be a detour – one from which he would never return to his previous plans.
This week in worship, Rick Greene is going to share a bit about his experience of recovering from a serious fall at work. In the several months he has been recovering, he has learned a lot in the process and found his experience and understanding of God to have grown deeper. It isn’t that God pushed him off the roof or wanted him to fall and shatter his hip. But it is true that God has used even this difficult thing to do some amazing things in his life. This was a major detour and a difficult one at that! But in the process, he has discovered some things about God and like Jeremiah, he now has a word to share with others.
Like Jeremiah, the circumstances that face us all can sometimes seem daunting. Certainly, if the next chapter of our life includes serious struggle or pain, we would all probably prefer to take a pass and wait for something a little easier and less painful. But sometimes life simply brings what it brings and we have to deal with it. Discovering how God supports us when life takes a detour can be an important part of our growth as Christians and an important witness to a world that is filled with detours for many of the people we meet.
