And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:12)

Our Canadian subscribers may have heard about an unexpected event that happened on one of the busiest stretches of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) that connects Toronto to Niagara Falls on Thursday, July 31.

A dump truck driven by an impaired young man tried to speed through the Burlington Skyway with its bucket raised. Needless to say he was not successful in his attempt. The bridge’s overhead trusses impeded his progress. Unfortunately, due to the structural damage caused, the bridge was closed indefinitely to Toronto-bound traffic.

This would have been simply filed under the category of “just another news item” in my cranial cabinet…except for the fact that I had to take that route twice over the weekend—once on Friday and again on Saturday. The Friday trip would see me in the vicinity of the Skyway around 9 a.m., which would be shortly after rush hour. On Saturday I would have to contend with heavy traffic as many motorists headed to cottage country or other destinations on this “long weekend”.

Traffic reports on the radio were not very encouraging when I headed out Friday morning. The most logical alternative routes were simply jammed with the unexpected increase in volume. One was moving along at the pace of a parking lot. The other was infinitely faster, at snail’s pace.

The announcer very calmly suggested that all motorists should allow themselves an extra hour at least to make it through the gridlock.

How was I going to make it even remotely close to the scheduled time of my meeting? Should I cancel or at least postpone it to a later date?

Detours. No one likes them at the best of times. You simply detest them when they crop up unexpectedly. Yet, they cannot be avoided, whether you are travelling on the Queen Elizabeth Way en route to cottage country or the King’s Highway on the road to your destiny.

Just as an impaired driver was responsible for this particular detour, so also it is in life. It is the stupidity, cruelty, frailty or naiveté of others that can delay your progress. You end up paying the price for their mistakes.

Sadly, such unplanned detours often deter travellers from pursuing their destiny. Unable to handle the prospect of a seemingly infinite delay, discouraged by the need to take a previously untraversed route, many simply do not make the decision to keep moving, detour and all.

So, what do I do? Pray, of course and seek Holy Spirit direction.

Enter thought into conscience. Thought entertained and enacted. Use Google Maps to chart a route that avoided highways. Exit 1 km ahead of everyone else. Follow directions closely, driving where one had never driven before on roads one did not know even existed hitherto. Get back on the QEW. Voila! Destination reached despite detour with only a 15 minute delay.

Oh yeah, the extra time in the Buick provided me with the opportunity to listen to recordings of prophetic words spoken over me and Sulojana several years back. I thanked God for those that had already been fulfilled and those that were on their way to being fulfilled after unanticipated detours and the resulting delays. (Hint, hint!)

Dear DWOD friend, are you on a detour right now on the road to your destiny? Do not despair. Do not be deterred by the prospect of taking an alternate route.

In the verse quoted at the top of this post, it was the evil intentions of King Herod that forced the Magi to take the long way home. Yet, the detour was absolutely essential in the grand scheme of things for the purposes of God to be fulfilled.

Make good use of the additional time. Fill it up with praise and prayer and prophecies (did you get the hint…lol!) And you too will reach your destiny in good time. In God’s time.