Originally published on May 5, 2020
Treasures in the Detour
Early on in the quarantine, Dennis and I were walking in the neighborhood in the morning. As we headed down to the half-way point of our walk, a couple was headed toward us. The man was on his bike and the woman was walking 2 really big dogs, all on the same side of the street we were on. We decided to cross the street to let them pass by. When we stepped up on the sidewalk on the other side, I found 2 pennies! The Lord was quick to tell me that I only found this ‘treasure’ because I had taken a detour!
Years ago, Dennis and I were preparing to go on a mission trip to Indonesia with the Youth Group in Houston. We were taking our three kids with us, and I was really anxious about traveling that far with them to a foreign country. In the weeks preceding the trip, I began to find pennies along my way, in all kinds of places. One day at a friend’s house while our kids played together in the front yard, I saw more than a few pennies in the grass. I mentioned it to my friend and told her that I’d been finding a lot recently. She said that she always thought about it as God thinking about her. I began to think maybe God was telling me He was aware of my anxiety over the coming trip. I was still worried about all the things that could go wrong so far away. When we finally arrived at our hotel after such a long trip and were preparing for bed, as I pulled some pillows off of a shelf in the closet several coins fell out with them. I asked Dennis how much they were worth and he said about a penny. So even in Indonesia, God was already thinking of me! Recently a friend told Dennis that when he finds a penny, because it says “In God We Trust” on it, he stops and says, “Thank you Lord for reminding me I can trust you.” Now we practice that when we find pennies on the road.
Did you know that, even in this place of quarantine, God is thinking about you? Psalm 139 says that there is nowhere we can go that is apart from His Spirit. No place too high, no place too low, no place too far. There is not even any place too dark for Him! (v. 11-12)
This season seems like an awful detour. Away from things we are used to, things we need. Away from routines and from family and friends. But even on this detour, God is there. And He has already planted and planned treasures from Him for you to find. I have found new depth of understanding from His Word from verses I’ve read many times, things that are strengthening my faith. What are the treasures you have found from the Lord on this detour?
Some may be obvious, or you may need to ask Him to open your eyes to see what is from Him and not just coincidences. The Lord is on this journey with us.
We’ve been on this new road awhile, and now it looks like we are going to be on it a while longer. The children of Israel traveled a long time to go a very short distance. The promised land was not forty years away. Most likely they passed some of the same scenery a few times. But God had new things for them to see along the way and continued blessings to remind them of His commitment to them.
Recently on our morning walk, I found two pennies again, but not close together. We had walked in the evening the day before. Dennis commented that we’ve walked that path so many times it seems like we would already have seen those. But they were pressed down into the road and old so they blended in--covered by the hand of God to be that day’s treasure. So when we feel like we’ve been on this detour too long, we keep our eyes open because the Lord is still with us, and He still has treasure for us to find.
Susan Malcolm
