Lately I have been thinking about detours, motorcycles, and side quests. In recent months, God has shown me a series of visions involving motorcycles. The first involved a motorcycle doing a U-turn, and then going the other way. The point of view was that of the driver. As I started the turn, I looked left to an open place where a road should be. The curb had been designed for a road to be there, but there was nothing built yet. My point of view then changed to that of bystander. As I watched, the motorcycle finished the U-turn and continued off into the distance.
In the second vision, I was the driver and could see the road ahead was closed. About 50 yards ahead of me, there was a big construction barricade across the road-- like when there is flooding and the bridge is out. Immediately to the left of it was another barricade, but this time with a big arrow pointing to the left. It was a detour sign.
Then last week, God showed me the motorcycle again. This time, the motorcycle was stopped at the barricade with the engine running. All I could see was the very front of the motorcycle. It looked like an Indian Scout Bobber, but I don't yet understand the relevance of it being this particular motorcycle. (If my wife is reading this, I have a birthday coming up. Hint hint.)
But God, what does this mean? What does the motorcycle symbolize? What does the road symbolize, and why is it closed? What is the detour about? Where does it lead? How long will it take? Why is the motorcycle idling there at the barricade, instead of taking the detour?
(Show of hands: anyone else out there just FULL of questions for God?)
In my own experience, sometimes God answers such questions right away, sometimes not. Last night, God answered some of these questions for me. In response to my asking for the umpteenth time why the road was closed, he responded by saying,
"Because the way ahead isn't finished yet."
This explained the barricade, but not the detour. Detours are usually a way to get around an obstacle so you can continue on your way. But not this one. The above explanation "Because the way ahead isn't finished YET" implies that it WILL be finished at some indefinite future moment in time. The detour arrow implies a new direction, but God's "yet" implies that God will bring me back to this place. Okay, cool. But God, what is the detour for, exactly? And also, why is the motorcycle idling at the barrier, engine purring?
While I was praying and thinking about this, the story of Philip in Acts 8 came to mind. We pick up the story in verse 26, quoting from the New International Version:
Now the angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road-- the desert road-- that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you're reading?" Philip asked.
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him...
Philip was going about his day, doing his thing. But unexpectedly, God sent him on a temporary mission to a place he never would have gone on his own. He didn't NEED to go to Gaza, and who wants to walk down a road through the wilderness by themselves toward an undesirable location? This wasn't his normal gig. 'Not his regular ministry, wandering down desert roads in the midday sun! Are you sure, God? You want me to walk down THIS particular dusty road in the heat of the day, God? Really? You're sure, right?
In western folklore, medieval knights sometimes went on a quest-- a holy mission of some sort. Seeking to find the Holy Grail was a popular one, apparently. But sometimes while out and about on their quest, they would encounter a problem to be solved. A fair maiden was held captive in a tower by a terrible dragon and had to be rescued. So they were presented with a side quest. That's what Philip was given. A side quest to take the desert road to Gaza. 'No instructions other than that. Um, okay? God had a divine appointment set up for Philip, but didn't bother to tell him. God only told him to start walking.
God took me on a significant detour last year. I got diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare variety of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and spent the next 18 months dealing with it. I got to meet some amazing comrades and published a book. But it wasn't just a detour; it was a side quest. A holy mission. And that's what I think the detour sign in the motorcycle vision represents for me. Not a detour, but a side quest. And I think that the motorcycle is idling because it's not quite time yet. Not quite time, but almost. Awesome, God! A new adventure! (Where are we going?)
Maybe some of you have encountered an unwelcome detour from your carefully planned normal life. Perhaps think of it-- not as a detour-- but as a holy side quest?
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