Articles . Volume 11 | Issue 09

Rubbernecking

Written by: Bill Elliff

Drives me nuts. It always happens when you are in a particular hurry to get somewhere, only to discover that the traffic is backed up for miles. “There must be a wreck,” you surmise. But when you finally reach the scene you realize that the car is off the road, out of the way, but the hold-up is nothing more than gawkers. The slowdown is completely due to people’s curiosity to see disaster.

David’s mighty men had been sent by the King on a mission vital to national security. But when Joab the commander had to dispose of a rebel and left him in the road, it created a massive delay.

“And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.” (2 Samuel 20:12-13 ESV)

It’s amazing how things distract us and slow us down. Now, the sight of the loss of a human life should give us pause. It’s understandable, but it doesn’t take something this dramatic to hinder us. We are easily diverted and the most important missions are often delayed or lost simply by the sidetrack of something far less compelling.

Watch out today. God has you on a mission to change history. Your prayers, witness, ministry could be used this very day to affect more in God’s timeline than you know. The enemy sniffs it in the wind and don’t think he doesn’t have schemes that he knows will cause you to pull aside, slow down and miss God’s agenda. In fact, today may be the most vital day of your entire life. If so, you will find multiple distractions in the road, placed there by the hand of your deceiver.

Be aware of your surroundings, but move forward with haste. The King has commanded you!

(copyright Bill Elliff, 2011)