God's detour

I wrote the following article for our church newsletter before my seizure and surgery. I'll leave it as is but in hindsight it definitely has some new dimensions. I continue to be intrigued by what God is doing. Check the family blog for more.

God’s Detour

I have been on some interesting detours but none like the one I am on currently. I came back from vacation in August all charged and geared up for some great new directions for our ministry at Southwood. I had done a lot of reading on vacation and was encouraged with some ideas that Southwood could incorporate to experience growth in some very healthy directions, making us a much more missional church.
On August 10, I preached my first message after vacation. It was great to be back in the pulpit. I felt full of energy and passion for our direction. On Tuesday, August 12, I began to have severe headaches, followed by regular tiredness. I began to notice that my cognitive awareness was somewhat fuzzy and I had at least two incidents where I lost my navigational bearings. A visit to the doctor and subsequent cat scan revealed a 2 inch mass pressing on the right side of my brain. My physician initially indicated that I was probably headed for surgical removal and that I should no longer drive. I think I am still absorbing the impact of this new news. It has been hard to think of how much responsibility this leaves on Dottie and the people at Southwood. It is not within my nature to be dependent. My life philosophy is to keep myself out of the way and serve others in order to make them successful. Therefore, I am intrigued with what God is doing. This is a time in my leadership at Southwood that I would think I am most needed to help us achieve what we should be doing. I am jazzed about my series in Philippians, “Real Life, Real Joy,” and am excited as I anticipate each Sunday’s message. So, what are you doing, God?”
I don’t believe God is angry at us for asking the “why” question especially when it is asking to seek greater discovery of His sovereign character. The Psalms are always a great place to go to see how others cried out to God. Psalm 13 is one of the most familiar to me in this area.
(Psalm 13 NIV) For the director of music. A psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? {2}
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? {3} Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; {4} my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. {5} But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. {6} I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.
Now, I certainly don’t feel like the Lord has forgotten me but I don’t know yet in what state I will be somewhere down this journey. I believe I am doing well now, but I haven’t yet had my skull opened up and been diagnosed with exactly what this mass is. But right now, I agree with the psalmist, I trust in His unfailing love.
I am intrigued that God had some detours for some others. Abraham thought that he and Sara were on their way to living out their life childless when God detoured them late in life and gave them a child in their old age. Abraham thought he had already taken care of this with Ishmael but God had another detour. Isaac was born and then when Isaac was a teenager, God told Abraham to take his son, his only son to a mountain where Isaac would be sacrificed. This was a huge detour with a very happy ending. Moses thought he was destined to spend the rest of his life in the wilderness when God came to him in a burning bush and detoured him back to Egypt to rescue his fellow Israelites. Out of Egypt they came on their way to the Promised Land until another detour. This detour lasted forty years. Job thought he was going to enjoy the rest of his life with great family times and celebrations with his children and grandchildren until God detoured him through a time of extreme suffering.
I have probably been heard to say, more than once, “God brought me into this world, He created my DNA, shaped my life and will determine when it is time for my heart to stop beating and come home to heaven. In between, He has the right to do whatever He chooses to do with my life.” It is easier to preach that than to live it. But the anchor point is our trust in the goodness and greatness of God.
Some have suggested the enemy’s involvement. He certainly does not want Southwood to get the gospel message out to our community and certainly doesn’t want you or me to be involved effectively in the process. But I am very clear that this is primarily and more importantly an issue of the sovereignty of God. I choose not to give the enemy any credit. He is under the sovereignty of God. What is happening is ultimately because of God’s sovereign choice and oversight. God is the one I choose to give my attention to for wisdom and guidance. And, again, the bottom line issue is, do I trust Him? The answer has to be a resounding yes!
So, whatever the reason is for this detour and whatever He has for me and for us as a church around the corner will be good because God is good. I trust Him to navigate the way. If I trust my GPS to do so, then God, who organized my world, will do far better. The destination and the new route will be the best. Thanks for joining me in praying for the new journey.