Webster defines roadblock as:
a-a barricade often with traps or mines for holding up an enemy at a point on a road covered by fire
b-a road barricade set up especially by law enforcement officers
c-an obstruction in a road
d-something that blocks progress or prevents an accomplishment of an objective.
Webster defines detour as:
a-a deviation from a direct course or the usual procedure (a roundabout way temporarily replacing part of a route
A friend recently said to me, "I just don't get it...I know things happen but often there seems to be roadblocks when I plan to do something."
I've been there; have you?
If you have, you are not alone, and you share the same frustrations as many great people of faith listed in the Bible. I'm so thankful the Lord saw fit to give us so many examples of roadblocks and detours in the lives of the faithful. It reminds me that there is no new thing under the sun and that most of us go through similar things in our lifetime.
The question that remains is this:
When a roadblock or detour prevents you from your will, are you going to give-up and murmur, or will you accept God's Will, and allow Him to work His purpose in your life in His timing?
Discernment is also required when you come face to face with a roadblock or a detour.
You must ask yourself:
Is this roadblock/detour self-made?
Is this roadblock/detour man-made?
Is this roadblock/detour a snare of the devil to cause you to sin?
Is this roadblock/detour caused by poor decisions in your life? Or,
Is this roadblock/detour from God Who is redirecting you to the road you are meant to travel?
I asked Google about biblical roadblocks, and this is what it told me: "The bible is full of examples of roadblocks (unexpected, frustrating halts) and detours (unexpected changes in direction) used by God to guide, protect or prepare His people for a better purpose, often transforming a seemingly negative situation into a positive outcome."
The most common roadblock in Scripture is about the Apostle Paul and his missionary journey in Acts 16:6-10. Paul was specifically forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia, but because of that 'roadblock' it led to the gospel spreading in Europe.
When you think about the Israelites in Exodus 13, God didn't lead them directly into Canaan, but on a longer route that would be safer for them and that would allow them to avoid going to war with the Philistines.
When Moses killed the Egyptian, he experienced a 40-year roadblock in the desert, but it served as a training ground for leadership and hearing God's voice from the burning bush.
Even by the death of Ruth's husband, she went with her mother-in-law into a foreign land, and this detour led her to joining the lineage of David by her marriage to Boaz.
You see, God has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of us, and sometimes it takes roadblocks and detours to fulfill that purpose.
"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:16
Before we were ever born, God knew all the days of our lives. He knows our birth and He knows our death. God has marvellously and meticulously made plans for each of our lives. We have a personal God and we each have a personal purpose.
God loves each one of His children, and He only wants what's best for us.
Sometimes our journey will require roadblocks and detours for His purpose and plans to be fulfilled.
Not all roadblocks and detours lead to dead ends.
Not all roadblocks and detours are permanent.
Sometimes they are placed in our path to redirect us back to God's Will.
Roadblocks can protect us from unseen dangers...
Roadblocks allow us to wait on God's timing, and to prepare us for what lies ahead...
and roadblocks allow us to trust God for a better, often unseen destination...
But that's just me!
"Be thankful for closed doors, detours and roadblocks. They protect you from paths and places not meant for you." Unknown
