By David Faust
I settled into my seat on the plane, thinking, Finally, we’re headed home. Returning from a mission trip to Romania, Candy and I spent an uncomfortable night sleeping on a bench at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. After 30 straight hours in cars, planes, and airports, we were disappointed when heavy storms canceled the last leg of our flight home.
The long night in the airport, however, gave us the opportunity to meet other passengers stranded along with us. Larissa, a university student from Germany and first-time visitor to the United States said, “My biggest fear about coming to America is tornadoes, and the first thing that happens is a bad storm!” She and my wife became fast friends. Greg, another stranded traveler, bought me a breakfast sandwich in the morning. He was returning to the U.S. after training ministers in Uganda. A French-speaking woman from Africa, two couples returning from vacation in Ireland, and a fellow worried about his diabetes—for one long night at O’Hare, this little band of travelers was united by a common dilemma. We all wanted to go home.
DETOURS AND DELAYS
Before leaving on the mission trip, Candy and I wrote a list of goals: “Trust God. Love well. Encourage others. Be flexible and available. Be positive. Listen well to others’ stories.” We should have added another goal: “Watch for what God teaches in unexpected ways.”
In Romania we met dozens of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. One woman gave us a handmade cloth angel—yellow and blue like Ukraine’s flag. Others told harrowing stories about children whose frostbitten fingers had to be amputated after fleeing in the freezing cold, and about drivers who hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car in 25 years hauling their children to safety on unfamiliar roads.
One mom showed us a photo of an unexploded Russian missile that landed three feet from her house near Kyiv. We met a 25-year-old mother who is fighting breast cancer; she couldn’t get her scheduled surgery in Ukraine because the hospital was now for military use only. (Romanian Christians arranged for her to have the surgery free of charge in their country.)
The Ukrainians’ sad faces put our minor frustrations into perspective. Temporary detours and flight delays are nothing compared to what these displaced people are enduring as they deal with situations out of their control, not knowing if or when they will ever go home.
WHEN THE GLORY COMES BACK
For a prolonged season the Jews lived in exile and God’s glory left the temple. But eventually God would be with them again, the land would be “radiant with his glory” (Ezekiel 43:2), and the Lord would say, “This is where I will live among the Israelites forever” (v. 7). Ezekiel’s words echo another biblical prediction that stirs our hope for heaven: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (Revelation 21:3).
Our world is marred by sin and scarred by war, but when we arrive at our destination, we’ll finally be at home with the Lord. Finally, our frustrations will end. Finally, our exile will be over. God’s glory will be obvious, his people will be at peace, and finally . . . finally! . . . we will be at home.
Personal Challenge: What have you learned from the detours and delays you have encountered in life? How have you seen God’s glory displayed in unexpected or painful situations?
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This Application by David Faust is a companion piece to the weekly Bible Lesson by Mark Scott and Discovery Questions by Michael C. Mack. This small-group Lookout Bible study material is free. Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material: LOOKOUT_September25_2022.
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