Disabled vehicle ahead. If you travel very often and use Waze or some other GPS navigation those are probably words you have heard coming from your travel assistant.
Is annoying because you know that you’ll need to slow down, possibly detour and then make a course correction.
We’re still walking the road to the cross with Abram this morning and we are about to encounter all three of the above.
“Later the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision, ‘Abram, don’t be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.’ 2 But Abram answered, ‘Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own…4 The Lord replied, ‘No, he won’t! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.’” Genesis 15:1,2;4 CEV
That was the disabled vehicle. Neither Abram or Sarai were able to have children. Now here comes the detour.
“Abram’s wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, 2 and Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine.” Abram agreed, 3 and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife.” Genesis 16:1-3 CEV
This detour was a rough and rocky road. It had all sorts of bumps and hardships. Envy, jealousy, rebellion, contempt and desolation. Abram was 86 years old when this happened.
Now for the course correction.
“When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, 2 I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” Genesis 17:1-2 CEV
“4-5 I promise that you will be the father of many nations. So now I’m changing your name from Abram to Abraham. 6 I will give you a lot of descendants, and they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. 7 I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.” Genesis 17:4-5 CEV
God wanted Abram to remember this new road he was traveling on and so He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning Father of Many Nations. Abraham knew God could do anything but this, having a baby at their age, was a big deal.
“Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing…” Genesis 17:17 CEV
Now, jump ahead a few weeks and the Lord visits Abraham again, establishing his route.
“10 One of the guests was the Lord, and he said, “I’ll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son.” Sarah was behind Abraham, listening at the entrance to the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children. 12 So she laughed and said to herself, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness? 13 The Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Does she doubt that she can have a child in her old age? 14 I am the Lord! There is nothing too difficult for me. I’ll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.” Genesis 18:10-14 CEV
Maybe life has been like that for you. At a younger age you had made a commitment to follow the Lord. You had been a “good Christian” but life had a way of taking you off course, leading you down a detour and far from what God had promised.
May I tell you, in spite of the detour God’s promises still hold true and He will bring you to a course correction and set you back on the right road!