On a Detour?

• When Saul had an encounter with God on the road to Damascus, it took 3 years before he began his public ministry.
• When Samuel appointed David as king over Israel, it was 25 years before he took the throne.
• Moses herded sheep for 40 years in the wilderness before God's call was fulfilled in his life.
  

I was reminded today that much of life is lived "in the wilderness" - in a period of waiting. In order to prepare us, teach us, change us, God often takes us on a path that seems to be leading us away from what we know He has called us to. There are times when our path seems contradictory to what God has promised, times when we begin to doubt whether or not we really heard Him correctly.

But if you look carefully at the Bible and the examples of others, you'll see that God never wasted that time. Saul (renamed Paul) learned much of God's grace and love during those 3 years. David had some growing up to do, and Moses learned some valuable desert survival skills that would come in handy when leading the Israelites to the promised land.

It gives me hope that no matter where I find myself, God is using that to mold me and shape me more like Him.