Do you look up directions on your phone to find the absolute quickest route to a destination?

When we ask God to guide us, it might come as a surprise to discover He often leads us on a longer, more meandering journey. His paths often involve delays, challenges, and setbacks, teaching us countless lessons we didn’t know we needed. With God, it’s not just about the destination. He wants to teach us that we can trust and rely on Him—and He throws in some patience, humility, and love along the way!

Emily Judson was a well-known missionary of the 1800s. She wrote home from what was then called Burma, about how unexciting much of her work was: “This taking care of teething babies, and teaching locals to darn stockings and [trying] to get an eatable dinner, is really a very odd sort of business…” She went on to express her desire for “higher and better things,” but wisely realized, “the person who would do great things well must practice daily on little ones; and she who would have the assistance of the Almighty in important acts, must be daily and hourly accustomed to consult His will in the minor affairs of life.”[1]

It’s easy to miss God altogether in our inconveniences. We often make the mistake of thinking God only works through breakthroughs, but the Bible book of James reminds us, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow…” (James 1:2-4)

[1] Elliot, E. (2023, August 29). Interruptions, Delays, Inconveniences . Elisabeth Elliot. https://elisabethelliot.org/resource-library/devotionals/interruptions-delays-inconveniences/