Some time ago, a dear friend named Dan, and I set out on a road trip to Vancouver Canada. We had done this trip a few times before and we were looking forward to it again. This particular time though, I was planning on sharing with him the outline of a sci-fi story I had been working on with another friend for many years now. I knew once he understood the plot that he would appreciate the deeper meanings we were aiming to get across. Dan, to his credit, really engaged in understanding the story and we talked and talked, thoroughly enjoying the whole process. About five hours into the conversation we realized we had totally missed an off-ramp and were about half an hour from Vegas. We thought this was absolutely hilarious! That 24-hour trip became a 29-hour trip and one of my fondest memories.
The Lord invites us to spend time close to him and when we do, he has great and wonderful things to tell us. His words are perfect and meaningful to all, unlike my fiction, which is interesting to some at best. We have an open invitation to converse with him and gain understanding. His ways are categorically higher than ours, so It takes time, focus, and patience to understand and accept them. But we have the world’s best teacher and interpreter, the Holy Spirit who is always with us. So the next time you hear the Lord’s voice trying to tell you something, draw close, ask questions, and get answers. You might just find yourself on the best 5-hour detour ever.
Jonathan Duncan