No direct route to your dream
Everything is different
You know the feeling, right? You’ve got this amazing plan, everything lines up, and you can already see your dream clearly: a cool job, a happy marriage, or starting your own business. And then, boom! Something unexpected gets in the way. A roadblock you didn’t see coming. Your plans seem to fall apart, and your expectations shatter. How do you react then? Do you push through or give up? Who hasn’t experienced this in their life? When everything turns out differently than planned, and you have to make a different choice. Maybe your second choice, or perhaps even something completely different.
In the Bible, in Numbers 20:21, we read a verse that fits this perfectly: “But Edom refused to let them pass through their territory; so Israel turned away from them.”
A polite request, still no passage
The people of Israel have wandered through the desert for years and finally come close to the Promised Land. Edom, a brother nation to Israel (they are descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob, the patriarch of the Jewish people), refuses them passage. Moses asked so politely and promised they wouldn’t cause any harm. But no, they weren’t allowed through. Just like that, a roadblock, no passage. What do you do then? What’s the best solution?
Stress and sleepless nights
A friend of mine recently told me something personal. A few years ago, he was stuck in a difficult business partnership. Financially, it looked great, but his business partner became increasingly manipulative and dishonest. Every attempt to resolve it calmly failed. He felt constantly rejected. His first thought was: fight! Defend his investment, push through to achieve his goal. Just like “passing through Edom.” But what he really wanted was a good solution, something they could both live with.
After months of stress and sleepless nights, there seemed to be no way out. He had trusted this partner and friend so much; they had studied together and worked together for years. What do you do then? The “way through Edom” was too damaging. It would cost him more financially and emotionally than it would gain. Eventually, he decided to let it go. No lawyer, no further attempts. It was a huge internal struggle because it was unjust, even pure theft. But still… letting go.
It was a detour, not because it was fun, but because it ultimately brought peace to his heart. You’ve probably had a moment like that in your life, when you realized you had to take a different path than you originally intended?
The direct route through Edom might have been the fastest, but God led them in another direction. Sometimes the most logical path in our lives seems blocked. That can be frustrating, but it teaches us to trust God, even if it takes longer or seems less comfortable.
The detour as a lesson
Just as Israel had to take a detour, we sometimes have to “go around” in our lives. This requires patience and trust that the Holy Spirit is leading us, even if the path seems like a “detour.” Perhaps that detour is exactly what’s needed for our spiritual growth.
Israel expected help and hospitality from Edom, as a brother nation. But they were rejected. In our own lives, we can also experience rejection from people we totally don’t expect it from, sometimes even from “brothers” or people close to us.
Israel didn’t react with violence but moved on. This teaches us that we don’t always have to fight to get our way, especially when it comes to relationships. Sometimes it’s wiser to avoid a confrontation and move on, even if it hurts. It might be that God is teaching us to avoid certain relationships or situations if they hinder us on our spiritual journey or harm us.
Through the desert
It wasn’t the first time a detour was chosen. When the Israelites left Egypt, there was a shorter route to the Promised Land. We humans prefer the fastest, shortest, and easiest way. But then we sometimes miss the lessons God wants to teach us. Not ‘our’ way is the best route, but God’s way. Sometimes even straight through the desert.
God didn’t lead them along the “way of the land of the Philistines,” the shortest way, but through the desert to the Red Sea. There they got stuck between the sea and the approaching army of Pharaoh. This seemed like a disastrous choice. But this detour was necessary for God’s greater plan to show His power and teach the people to trust Him. Just as Israel had to go around Edom, here they had to follow an illogical route.
Again and again, we get to learn; sometimes multiple experiences are needed to trust God. Even a detour can be a learning process in our lives. But above all: choose God’s way, from His peace.
We used to sing a song about the wide and narrow road. The chorus went like this:
The path of Jesus is steep and narrow, sometimes uphill and then in the valley. But Jesus’ love is everywhere, I choose the path of Jesus!
I choose the path of Jesus, sometimes even with a detour!
@wimvanputten