The God of the Roundabout Way

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

By Pastor Tim Shaw

I have family living in Southern California. I grew up there. When I was a pastor in the San Francisco Bay Area and I wanted to visit my family over 400 miles away, sometimes, instead of flying, I’d drive from the Bay Area to Southern California. My favorite route was Interstate 5. I-5 runs straight down the middle of the state. It’s not particularly scenic but it’s fast. Taking I-5 to LA is all about getting to Southern California as quickly as possible.

If I wanted to head to the mountains to do some skiing, I took Interstate 80 from the Bay Area to Tahoe. I blasted my way through towns like Fairfield, Sacramento, and Auburn. Depending on the time of day, I could be in the mountains in two-and-a-half, maybe three hours. Maybe I shouldn’t say that. OK, maybe three-and-a-half hours later, I’d be in the mountains ready to slap some skis on my feet. I’m all about getting to the place where the fun is going to happen. What’s the shortest, fastest route between two points? That’s the one I want to take. (You can tell this is written by a native Californian.)

One of the things I continue to discover about God is simply this: He doesn’t seem to place the same priority on taking the most efficient and speedy route. If I allowed God to drive me to LA, I’m convinced He would take Highway 1, the scenic route down the coast. We’d stop to admire the beauty of His creation, we’d explore tide pools, check out some sea lions lounging in the sun and be in awe of the pounding surf. We’d talk a lot. We’d eat good food. We’d probably keep the speed under 40 MPH. For God, the journey is as important as the destination. I think God loves taking road trips with us.

Our God is frequently the God of the scenic route. He prefers the coastal route to the straight-as-an-arrow interstate highway down the middle of California. Our God is sometimes the God of the roundabout way, and the roundabout way is a route where there are LOTS of potential delays, TONS of opportunity to get out and stretch your legs, and where it’s MUCH more difficult to estimate when you’re actually going to reach the destination. If God drove me to the Sierras, I’m convinced that on most days He’d take me up the mountain on back roads through towns like Copperopolis and Markleeville. 

When it comes to our lives, it’s my personal observation that God is not as linear as I am. He can be the God of the roundabout way. Our God is the One who took the people of Israel to the Promised Land by way of the desert. That was not the direct route from Egypt. But it was the best way for the people to get there. God knew the people of Israel were not ready to face the challenges in the land He would give them, so He took them on the scenic route. Getting the people of Israel out of Egypt was challenging. But as one commentator said, “Getting Egypt out of the people of Israel was going to take a lot longer.” 

God wants to get “Egypt” out of us. He knows the kinds of people He wants us to become. To grow us into people who look more and more like Jesus, God may need to take us on a journey that will include unforeseen intermediate stops and unexpected, sometimes challenging backroads. He realizes that to be able to form Christ in us, we might need to simply spend more time with Him. So, when we find ourselves on the scenic route, the roundabout way, maybe we should try to just settle down and simply enjoy the journey with this One who really seems to love traveling with us. 

Prayer: Our God, we are so grateful that You know the paths that lead to life. You are indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life, and You have made it possible for us to be in a relationship with You. Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. When we begin to feel anxious or antsy about where our life is going, help us to slow down and recognize that You are on this road trip with us. And in Your presence may we know Your peace. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!

Share this with a friend: