Detour

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:1-6

“Uh oh!” said Mom. “That sign says, ‘Detour—straight ahead.’ We can’t make our turn onto the freeway. The ramp is closed for repairs.”

“But we have to get on it somehow, don’t we?” asked Maggie.

“We’ll get there if we follow the orange detour signs,” said Mom. “See if you can find the next one.”

After they drove a couple of blocks, Maggie pointed. “There’s a sign,” she said. “It says to turn right—but we’d have to turn left to go in the direction of the freeway. Someone must have switched the signs!”

“Let’s just do what the signs say,” said Mom, turning to the right. The next sign also said to go right, and the next said to go right again.

“We’re going in circles,” said Maggie. “This can’t be right!”

“Look ahead,” said Mom. “This road leads onto the freeway. The signs were correct even though they seemed wrong.” She turned onto the ramp. “You know what? Someone has given us directions for our lives too, and we have to trust that His directions are right—even if they sometimes seem wrong to us. Do you know who I mean?”

Maggie thought about it. “Dad?”

Mom laughed. “He’d be happy to hear that answer,” she said, “but I was thinking of God. The Bible says things like ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ and ‘A soft answer turns away wrath.’ Those statements may seem wrong to us, but they’re true.”

“How about, ‘Love your enemies’?” said Maggie. “That was my memory verse last week.”

Mom grinned. “Here’s a good one for us today. ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.’”

“Yeah,” said Maggie. “I wish I remembered that verse when I was worried about finding the freeway!”

Mom nodded. “We should always follow God’s directions, even when it’s hard or goes against what other people say we should do. Just like the person putting up the signs to the highway, God knows what He’s doing, and obeying Him will always lead us in the right direction.” – Pauline Youd

How About You?

Do God’s directions—the instructions He gives in the Bible for how you should live—sometimes seem like they don’t make sense? Trust Him! Even though the world tells you to get instead of give and respond to anger and hatred from others with more anger and hatred, God knows what’s best. He’ll never give you wrong directions.

Today’s Key Verse:
Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust God’s directions