I’ll just say it: I’m a point-A-to-point-B kind of guy. The goal of every trip, whether I’m on foot or behind the wheel, is to arrive at my destination using the least amount of time, energy, and/or gasoline. I like to think that I’m eco-friendly, but the Lord and my wife know better. Case in point: the infamous GCF (“Grand Canyon Fiasco”).
Early in our marriage, we were making good time across Arizona on I-40 when Linda noticed a sign: “Grand Canyon – 60 miles off the next exit.” She had always wanted to see this world famous wonder and it was only about 50 miles away. I’m thinking, let’s see, that’s over an hour to get there, at least two hours to see the canyon from the 90+ lookout points, and another hour to get back on the interstate. Of course, we’ll have to stop for gas which is always the most expensive around those touristy areas. Plus we’ll probably pick up some over-priced souvenirs and a meal. It was glaringly obvious that this little “only 50 miles out of the way” detour was going to obliterate my etched-in-stone itinerary.
Exit 165 came and went, and a steely curtain of silence descended between the driver’s and passenger’s seats in that ’74 Pinto. I finally gave up trying to make small talk somewhere near the outskirts of Needles.
Happily, in the thirty plus years since the GCF, we resumed communication. But to this day, whenever someone mentions the Grand Canyon, I avoid eye contact with my wife.
I have since learned to occasionally take the long cut (as opposed to short cut) though it still requires a ridiculous amount of effort. Which is why I did a double-take when I read these verses in Exodus:
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. . . But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea” (Exodus 13:17-18).
In this case, God eschewed the shorter Egypt-to-Promised-Land route in favor of the circuitous trail to the south. How could an all-wise God be so inefficient, I wondered? I’m sure there were more than a few point-A-to-point-B Israelites contemplating the same thing. Fortunately, God did not leave me guessing. It was because His chosen people were not ready to inherit the promise (verse 17). They were not ready to come face-to-face with Philistines, Amorites, and Hittites (oh my,) because they hadn’t yet come face-to-face with their God. The “detour” to Mount Sinai— where the LORD revealed His holiness and power— was an essential leg of the trek home.
This same God has probably taken you on a few “detours” on your life’s journey. Perhaps even now you feel like you’ve been parked at a rest area for too long. Could it be that God is using this time to prepare you for what lies ahead? Is He trying to reveal something about Himself and about yourself that is necessary for success on the next page of the map? Have you ever thought about it that way? Give it a try.
Oh, in case you were wondering, I finally took Linda to see the Grand Canyon last year. She said it was worth the wait!
Happy trails,
Pastor Dave