The Lord kept me out of Bible Study today. How do I know? I just could not get there. I really wanted to, but I couldn’t. See if you can relate.

I drove the boys to school at 7:30. I then went to Panera Bread and had a lovely time with the Lord, reading my Bible, writing down verses, and composing a prayer in my journal. I smiled at an acquaintance, but she didn’t come over. Until I was leaving….of course. I planned to leave at 9:30 to drive to Bible study, 10 minutes away. It started at 10, and 30 minutes would be ample for even me find it.

However, the acquaintance got interested in chatting as I put my coat on. ("Hello, I’m leaving!!!!!!!!") The Lord reminded me that the interruption is sometimes the point of the day, so I didn’t get aggravated. Well, not too aggravated.

I left at 9:40. This left 20 minutes for a 10-minute drive. After nearly 9 years in Roanoke, I decided to be brave and head directly to the address. (My normal way would be to go back to my house and start over from there…an insane and lengthy proposition.) I had the Mapquest directions in my car from the last time I went, but they started at my house. Surely I could adapt the directions as I headed there from town. There were, no kidding, two turns on the direction sheets. Main streets. Simple.

So why did I get lost? Could it be that God was keeping me from Bible study?

It would have been smart to call and ask my friend the name of the cross street in the warren of tiny streets in Raleigh Court. But my cell phone wouldn’t turn on. It was charged, but wouldn’t go green. I pushed every button. It’s a new phone. Apparently you need to be a 13 year old boy to know how to turn it on. Still, I tried. Boy, did I try.

I resolved to not get flustered. I prayed. I drove up and down streets. I stopped and asked for directions. I prayed. I looked at a map. I stopped at another gas station and got directions, again. I drove up and down streets. I gave myself five more minutes. I got teary-eyed. This entire time I was within ¼ of a mile of my destination.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps I wasn’t supposed to be there. Why? Because the God who parted the Red Sea and escorted the Israelites on dry ground would certainly escort me to a yellow house on a tree-lined street in Roanoke, Virginia…if He wanted me there.

I’d just been writing, praying, and meditating about leaving “margins” in my life to be able to study Scripture, to spend quiet time, to have time set apart. Yet I had scheduled every single minute of this day, before it even began. It occurs to me that when I feel overwhelmed, when I fantasize about a snow day or even a head cold in order to ignore the phone and the tasks, well, could that a message? Are those feelings from the Lord, knocking on the door of my heart, saying, “Rest in me.” Or as I would say, “Settle down, Sister!”

So, I am home, and cozy, and sitting quietly, awaiting further revelation. Maybe that was it. Is sitting quietly the order of the day? Could it be?

Perhaps I needed to be here to respond to the phone call from a friend, seeking college and career advice. Maybe it was for Dave, so that I’m home when he calls from his interview today. (Certainly he could not have reached me on my cell phone.)

Do you have days like that? Days where you feel blocked at every turn? Maybe like me you persist in your agenda, nearly to the brink of insanity. Does it sound familiar?

Help us, Lord, to be more still, so you can get our attention easier. We beg you to speak to us, and then we run as fast as we can in the opposite direction. Lord, we’re sorry for that. Again today, I surrender my busy-ness and my schedule. I lay it all at your feet. Establish the work of my hands for me. (Psalm 90). Yes, establish the work of my hands.

Show me the way to go. You know I’m not too good with maps. I’ll try not to get in Your way. I rest in you, Lord. Amen.