Glorifying the God of the Detour

“On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will tell of Your greatness. They will overflow [like a fountain] when they speak of Your great and abundant goodness and will sing joyfully of Your righteousness.” (Psalm 145:5-7, AMP)

CANCELLED.

That’s never a word you want to see next to your flight number at the airport. This past weekend, my husband and I flew up to New York to watch our friends get engaged. We flew in Friday night, hung out this weekend, and the plan was to fly back home Sunday night to be back in time for work on Monday morning. 

But clearly, we were in store for other plans.

On the way to the airport, Sam got the email that our flight was delayed at first, and then cancelled. Being that we were 15 minutes from the airport in the first place, and neither of us could get a representative on the phone, we decided to just go to LaGuardia Airport anyway and speak to someone at the airline’s front desk. 

Turns out, the airline had an incident in Florida earlier that day that kept many different planes from getting to their destinations earlier that day. Apparently, the plane that was supposed to take us that night was still held up in Florida and there wouldn’t be another plane to take us back home until Tuesday night. 

What does that mean? It means we are stuck in New York until then, which is inconvenient, yes, but not the end of the world. 

And that means a lot coming from me. I’m the kind of person that usually can’t stand inconveniences like that. I will admit, even now, I’m writing this devotion from New York and wishing I was home. I would have liked to have stuck with the plan. Heck, I think that’s a pretty normal response. No one likes to have their plans derailed, but it is a fact of life that they will be.

Just like I’m sure Jonah found being swallowed by a whale to be terrifying, if not a major inconvenience in his plot to skirt around God’s will.

Just like I’m sure Paul found his pit-stops in prisons to be a frustrating deviation from where he was trying to spread the gospel.

Just like I’m sure Naomi found the loss of her family to be a heartbreaking turn of events meant to steal her joy and the dreams she had for her future.

But God is still good. His will is still being done. And while I find a cancelled flight to be very small compared to the greater, grander scheme of what God is doing in my life, it is a good reminder for me to still praise Him for the fact that He is good, even when my plans get changed.

Because despite the fact that I can’t go home for a couple of days, I still have a place to stay in the interim. It won’t cost me anything to adapt and switch the flight home, stay in New York, and get more time with family. Both my husband and I can work virtually and have flexible work schedules, so we can still clock in and earn this week's paychecks uninterrupted. We still have our health and a God who is always watching out for us.

Because He is still good. He is still awesome. And He is still unchanging.

And when life goes wrong– when I have every opportunity to grumble and worry and complain over the inconveniences in life– I have the ability to turn to a God that is steadfast in His goodness. I have the chance to praise Jesus through my twists and turns. I can meditate on his abundant kindnesses in submissive wonder. 

At the end of the day, I have no control over certain things. I cannot change my cancelled flights and changed plans, and I think that teaches me to be more trusting in a God that is constantly trying to mature me into someone that looks more like Jesus. What a blessing to be able to praise God through it all. What a blessing to know that the One that holds the world is still good enough to care about where I lay my head down each night. 

Whatever you’re going through today, friends, whether it’s a cancelled flight, a work crisis, a family situation, or a personal trauma, take a moment to turn to the One who is still at the wheel. He is still by your side and what might seem like an inconvenience, whether minor or major, may just be an invitation to take a deeper look at how good God is. 

There is always time to give praise where praise is more than due. It only takes a moment of thought for you to find them.