Welcome to Day #9 of the Restoration Project. You can read Days 1-8 here.

For months and months there was road construction a few miles from our house. As the workers slowly repaired the road we had to take a lengthy, dirt road detour. It was irritating, especially when I forgot about it and was already running late.

It didn’t seem like much was happening behind the Road Closed signs.

I kept wanting to plow through the Road Closed Ahead barriers. But we were rerouted, for our safety, although it felt inconvenient.

As the kids and I took the long way around we did notice some pretty views that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Sometimes God restores by taking us down a road that we weren’t expecting.

Sometimes God renews our perspective by rerouting us.

Detours and delays can be frustrating but they aren’t the same as dead-ends.

I dare say there is power at work in the delays—God’s Power.

Don’t let detours derail you. Delays can usher in miracles.

Think about Hannah. A barren wife, bullied by another. Then comes a long awaited and prayed for son, Samuel. The delay brought forth fruit, not just from her womb, but for generations to come (See 1 Samuel 1).

Consider Lazarus—dead for days, wrapped in grave clothes. His sisters faced a dead end that ended at a tomb. Then comes Jesus, after a delay, and He calls forth his friend—resurrecting life and hope (See John 11).

Then there’s Jesus. A three day delay, after His death on the cross, looked like a dead end. But, the resurrection of Christ changed everything (See 1 Corinthians 15).

We faced the eternal tomb, then BAM! He provided salvation through His sacrifice.

The delay brought forth deliverance.

The detour made a way where there was no way.

The road to reconciliation was closed until Jesus came, lived, died and rose. Jesus made a new way, because He is the way, truth and life (see John 14:6).

Power can be found in delays. And the presence of detours doesn’t mean we are facing a dead-end.

Come on over as let’s continue this conversation about detours not being dead-end dreams at God-sized Dreams…