On May 21, 2020, twin brothers Zak and Max Prizant took their first step in their journey across America on foot. They started on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. They finished on the Brooklyn Bridge on New Year’s Eve, completing their 3000-mile journey and raising $15,000 for COVID relief.



On May 21, 2020, twin brothers Zak and Max Prizant took their first step in their journey across America on foot. They started on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. They finished on the Brooklyn Bridge on New Year’s Eve, completing their 3000-mile journey and raising $15,000 for COVID relief.”



Now, repeat that journey 2.5 more times. That’s how far Paul and his companions traveled (over 10,000 miles) as pioneer missionaries. They faced many life-threatening hazards, and unlike the Prizants, they endured physical attacks and prison time to spread the gospel and start churches.



Of all the experiences they had, something unusual happened during the second missionary journey. God paused their plans, rerouting their mission efforts. Let’s take a road trip with Paul and lessons in listening to God.

You and I have an issue: we hate waiting, yet we are forced to do it a lot. Think about how much of your life is spent . . .



Standing in a grocery store check-out line.



Growing older in a traffic jam.



Listening to that terrible canned music song cycle again while on hold.



Anticipating test results that seem to take forever and ever.



One UCLA professor humorously suggested the creation of a new unit of time called “the honko-second.” Defined as “the time between when the light changes and the person behind you honks his horn,” it would be the smallest measure of time known to man.”



One UCLA professor humorously suggested the creation of a new unit of time called “the honko-second.” Defined as “the time between when the light changes and the person behind you honks his horn,” it would be the smallest measure of time known to man.



Those of us who want things in a “honko-second” find waiting annoying. Isn’t that why we enjoy fast food, microwaves, freeway express lanes, and Amazon Prime? But what if God has something in those gaps for us that we can’t learn any other way? Let’s not waste our waiting anymore. Jesus’s disciples were in a waiting room with lessons to show us how to wait well.

Peter Greig was on his way home to England. As he hurried through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, he soon learned that the Iceland volcano had grounded all flights. Peter asked God how He wanted him to use this interruption and his thoughts flew to his friend Joe, 150 miles away in Madison, Wisconsin. “Hey, I’m in Chicago,” he emailed. “Can I come crash on your couch?”



Joe had just received terrible news. His wife asked, “Who do you wish you had on your couch right now?” Joe answered, “I wish Pete was on my couch, but I know that’s crazy.” Within hours of Joe’s stated longing, Peter was sitting on his couch. Sometimes, God interrupts our lives with people in ways that feel like an answer to prayer.”



What Peter didn’t know was that Joe had just received terrible news. His wife asked, “Who do you wish you had on your couch right now?” Joe answered, “I wish Pete was on my couch, but I know that’s crazy.” Within hours of Joe’s stated longing, Peter was sitting on his couch. Sometimes, God interrupts our lives with people in ways that feel like an answer to prayer. In our passage, Jesus was surrounded by people, but He took time for two desperate people. He responded with such spiritual sensitivity and power, it changed them.

I’m fascinated with stories of “chance encounters.” History is full of them. And so is your life. Ever made a left turn when you should’ve gone right? Maybe you knocked on the wrong door or stood in a long line only to discover thirty minutes later you were in the wrong line?



We don’t usually see these as life-changing encounters. But they could be. James Chadwick stood in the wrong line—and science is glad he did. James was only sixteen when he enrolled at Manchester University. This young upstart had his eye on studying mathematics—until he got in the wrong line.



Chadwick got in line to register for mathematics, but it turns out he was registering for physics. He decided to stay enrolled because he liked the professor he talked with, Dr. Ernest Rutherford. This wrong line and chance encounter led to a lifelong friendship and partnership. Was that a big deal? It turns out that Rutherford, who mapped out the atom, instilled in Chadwick a love for physics. Chadwick went on to discover the neutron, and he became a pioneer in nuclear science.



All because of the mistake of getting in the wrong line. I’m not saying that every mistake or wrong turn in your life is divinely ordained by God. But since you’re there, look around. God may want to use you in that situation.



We sometimes wonder if God writes us off when wemake bad or sinful decisions. But Moses shows usthat God can use the mess we make of things torefine us if we let Him.”



Just don’t assume your mistake is just that: a mistake. That mistake could be an opportunity. We sometimes wonder if God writes us off when we make bad or sinful decisions. But Moses shows us that God can use the mess we make of things to refine us if we let Him.

The birth of a giraffe is amazing to see! First, the newborn calf drops ten feet to the ground at birth. Then, his mama kicks him. Hard! Somehow, the calf knows what this means and tries to stand. But those stilts-for-legs rarely work on the first try.



The birth of a giraffe is amazing to see! First, the newborn calf drops ten feet to the ground at birth. Then, his mama kicks him. Hard! Somehow, the calf knows what this means and tries to stand…Then, bam! Mama kicks him off his feet! Her baby must learn how to rise and get moving right away or predators will pick him off.”



Bam! A second kick sends the calf flying and stumbling. This cycle of kick, try, and fall repeats until the infant giraffe finds its wobbly balance. Then, bam! Mama kicks him off his feet! Her baby must learn how to rise and get moving right away or predators will pick him off.



I’ve got some things in common with a baby giraffe. I’ve been knocked off my feet, kicked while I was down, kicked by the people I expected kindness from. Can you relate?



Joseph certainly can. His life was interrupted by jealous and evil people, cruel injustice, and harsh hardship. Yet, his God-centered response offers an example of trusting God on a road full of potholes. How we can learn from him how to handle less challenging circumstances in our own lives and still keep a God-trusting posture enabling us to know confidently, “Won’t He do it!”