That Roadblock Has a Purpose

Seeing Delays Through God's Eyes

Many of us have experienced this.

You are driving toward your destination. Everything is going according to plan. The traffic is moving, the GPS says you are only five minutes away, and you are already thinking about what you need to do when you arrive.

Then suddenly, everything comes to a stop.

You cannot see what is happening ahead. All you know is that traffic has been redirected, and you have no choice but to follow the new route. As you turn onto the detour, you discover another long line of vehicles moving at a snail's pace. There is nowhere to turn, nowhere to escape—only forward.

At that moment, you experience all kinds of emotions. Frustration. Disappointment.

Anxiety. If you are rushing to an important appointment, perhaps even tears. You wonder why this is happening. You wish you had taken another road.

Yet there is nothing you can do except wait.

Then, sometime later, you hear that there had been a serious accident ahead, or that emergency crews had closed the road because a sinkhole had appeared. What felt like an unnecessary delay may actually have protected you from something you could not see.

Life can feel like that.

Sometimes we have prayed, planned, worked hard, and are almost within reach of something we have long desired. Then, without warning, the door closes. The opportunity disappears. The answer we hoped for never comes. Our plans are interrupted, and we are left wondering, "Lord, why?"

But what if God is allowing that roadblock because He sees what you cannot yet see?

What if that roadblock is protecting you?

What if that closed door is redirecting you?

What if that roadblock is preparing you for something greater?

Or what if God is developing something in you that could not be developed any other way?

Throughout Scripture, we find people who only understood God's purpose with the benefit of hindsight.

Joseph dreamed of greatness, yet he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and imprisoned for years. None of it made sense at the time.

Can you imagine what must have been going through Joseph's mind? Perhaps he wondered, "Lord, what happened to the dream You gave me?"

Perhaps he felt forgotten, alone, and overwhelmed. In what seemed like a moment, he had lost his freedom, his family, and the comfort of his father's presence.

Yet years later, after God had raised him to become governor of Egypt and used him to save countless lives during the famine, Joseph could finally say:

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass... to save much people alive."

—Genesis 50:20 (KJV)

It was only years later that Joseph understood why God had allowed him to walk such a difficult road.

The children of Israel experienced something similar. After entering the Promised Land, the younger generation found themselves facing one battle after another. They may have wondered why God had not simply given them peace.

Years later, Scripture revealed God's purpose:

"Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof."

—Judges 3:2 (KJV)

What looked like a roadblock was actually God's training ground. He was preparing them for battles they would one day face.

One of the clearest examples of this is found in the story of Lazarus.

When Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus was sick, He did not leave immediately. Instead, the Bible says:

"...he abode two days still in the same place..."

—John 11:6 (KJV)

To Martha and Mary, it seemed that Jesus had arrived too late. Martha expressed the disappointment many of us have felt when she said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." From her perspective, the opportunity had passed.

Jesus had a greater purpose. Before they left for Judea, He explained it to His disciples:

"...I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe..."

—John 11:15 (KJV)

Death itself seemed like the ultimate roadblock. Yet it became the setting for one of Jesus' greatest miracles. Jesus was not late. He is always on time.

The Apostle Paul also experienced a roadblock. Three times he pleaded with God to remove the thorn in his flesh, but God did not.

Later Paul understood why.

"...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh... lest I should be exalted above measure."

—2 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)

What Paul saw as a roadblock, God was using to keep him humble and dependent upon Him.

Even the cross itself was misunderstood.

The disciples watched Jesus—the One who had healed the sick, calmed storms, and raised the dead—be arrested, mocked, and crucified. It must have seemed like everything had gone terribly wrong.

Yet what looked like the ultimate defeat became God's greatest victory. What seemed like a permanent roadblock became the doorway to our salvation. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus opened the way for us to be brought out of darkness into His marvellous light.

What roadblocks are you facing today?

Try looking at them with fresh eyes. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see them from God's perspective. Perhaps then you may begin to understand what He is doing, even if you cannot yet see the whole picture.

Perhaps God has a plan you cannot yet see.

Perhaps He is protecting you from something you cannot yet see.

Perhaps He is preparing you for what lies ahead.

Perhaps He is redirecting you toward something better.

Or perhaps He is shaping your character for the purpose He has planned for your life.

The Bible reminds us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are higher than ours.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

—Isaiah 55:8–9 (KJV)

His thoughts toward us are compassionate, kind, and always for our good.

Ultimately, the Bible reminds us:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

—Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Notice the words "all things." Roadblocks, delays, disappointments, wrong turns, and even our mistakes are not beyond God's ability to work for our good.

Today, your roadblock may not make sense, especially if you feel like you were "almost there," just like the driver in our opening illustration.

Life may feel unfair. You may be angry, sad, or simply feel lost, asking, "What's next?" or "Where do I go from here?"

Know this: the One who promised never to leave you nor forsake you means exactly what He says.

He is on the job.

He sees what you cannot yet see.

One day, with the benefit of hindsight, you may look back at this very season and say,

"Thank You, Lord, for the roadblock that I did not understand."

Thank You for the protection.

Thank You for the closed door.

Thank You for the redirection.

Thank You for the better plan You had all along.

Hold on to God's promise that He knows the plans He has for you—plans for your good and to give you a future and a hope. Trust that even this roadblock is not outside His control. In His time, He will make everything beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Reflection

As you go about your day, meditate on these words:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God..."

—Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Ask yourself:

• What if I looked at this roadblock through God's eyes instead of my own?

  
  

• Three years from now, might I see this situation differently?

  
  

• Can I trust that God knows what is best, even when I cannot yet understand His purpose?

  
  

Prayer

My Father, You are the all-knowing God. Help me to trust You with this situation. Steady and strengthen my heart as I wait for Your best to be revealed. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Happy Tuesday!