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Immediately following the Christmas season, my husband and I decided to take a week-long vacation to relax in Chicago, Illinois. If you know anything about the windy city, you’re probably chuckling about my naivety. Nevertheless, that was the plan. We’d spend one day driving halfway. Two days in Algonquin to visit some friends. One day in Morrison. And then head home.
But then, our car broke down just off a busy highway. Instead of feeling peace during the 8-hour ride home, I felt tension. Not only were Ben and I stranded in Princeton, Illinois, but we were thrown off course. After a call to Triple AAA, a ride with a tow truck, and a night’s stay in a local hotel while the car was being repaired, we felt frustrated, stressed, and inconvenienced. But honestly, amidst these negative feelings, I felt surprisingly calm. Not because things were going how I anticipated, but because I realized, maybe, this isn’t about me. This wasn’t in our plans, but even in disruption, God is still present.
Why Delays Feel So Personal
While this mishap is personal to me, I’m sure we’ve all experienced delays and unexpected circumstances. You had to work over, the train got delayed, the flight got cancelled, and XYZ took way longer than expected.
Delays trigger a lot of anxiety, control issues, and exhaustion. And that’s normal. We’re human, after all. We like to know the plan, and we like to be the bosses of our lives. But even small inconveniences can feel overwhelming because we weren’t expecting them. Our nervous systems hate uncertainty, and unfortunately, 100% of life comes with a heaping dose of uncertainty.
So where does that leave us? As Christians, we can either fight the delays or accept them. We can either trust that God will work through them and the pain, or not. Which you choose will ultimately be up to you.
What Scripture Says About Interruptions
In Proverbs 16:9, we learn that planning is a natural thing we as humans do: “In their hearts humans plan their course…” But do you know how that verse concludes? “But the Lord establishes their steps” (NIV). Friends, we can plan, but tomorrow isn’t promised. We can create the most detailed 5-step plans and elaborate vacation excursions, but at the end of the day, God establishes our steps. Why? Because He knows and sees things beyond our understanding.
Isaiah 55:8-9 explains the process this way: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways” (NIV). In some ways, this verse seems scary. God’s ways aren’t like ours, and we won’t ever fully comprehend this side of Heaven. But in others, this brings immense comfort. God’s ways aren’t ours, and that’s a beauty. How do I know?
While it might initially seem frustrating, we can trust God’s delays. Joseph, Paul, and even the Israelites in the wilderness experienced delays. But every single one was used by God. Some for protection, others for growth, and some for reasons we still may not understand. They probably didn’t either. And yet, each one trusted God through it.