During his lifetime, Adrian Fisher, the award-winning maze designer, has designed over 700 mazes across 36 different countries — hedge mazes, mirror mazes, cornfield mazes, wooden fence mazes, water mazes, and more.
I don’t know much about maze craft myself, but apparently, there are a variety of elements in mazes — things like blind alleys, dead ends, curves, and bottlenecks — and a good maze designer will use these features to guide the participants toward a fun treasure at the center or toward some whimsical escape.
Mazes, when you’re in the middle of them, might seem random or confusing, but good mazes have an intentionally intricate and delightful design.
If your own life currently feels confusing or maze-like, there are three truths, inspired by Acts 16 in the New Testament, that you can cling to — truths about God’s redirection, God’s devotion, and God’s faithfulness.
In Acts 16, we read a mazelike story, one that includes dead ends, bottlenecks, turns, and surprises, and what we discover is this: there is a grand and delightful design and, more importantly, a Grand and Delightful Designer over it all.
Read Acts 16:6-15
1. God’s Redirection
Paul and his companions are traveling to share the gospel — the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, salvation, kingdom, shalom, and power.
What’s fascinating is that they try going to one region to preach the message of Jesus there but are prevented by the Holy Spirit from doing so (16:6).
So, they travel to another region, but similarly, the Spirit (16:7) wouldn’t allow them to go there either. What was going on?
Over a long period of time, these guys keep trying to visit different locations in order to spread the love and message of Jesus. But for some strange reason — it almost doesn’t make any sense — the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to do so.
The funny thing is, we don’t really know what that looked like. Did the borders close? Did the people blatantly reject Paul’s message and run them out of town? Did their horses or camels fall over dead? We don’t know the details, but we discover the why as we keep reading the story.
God was ordering the steps of Paul and his crew through a grand maze design — not this way, guys...nope, not this way either...God was moving them along this labyrinth, directing their path, in order to lead them to share the gospel with a Gentile woman.
What we learn in Acts 16 is that every rejection is God’s redirection.
Every closed door.
Every no.
Every failed attempt.
All of those “rejections” were features God used to steer Paul and his missionary companions through a maze — one that led, delightfully and purposefully, to Lydia.
Think about that for a moment as a concept for your own life. Maybe you are walking through a confusing season right now — maybe you are dealing with an ending, a no, a goodbye, a tragedy, a trauma, or a major life transition — some unexpected storyline you never wanted or planned for.
You might feel like crying out, “God, I have tried to live for you! I’m doing my best! I am pursuing the things I thought were right and good! But these are not outcomes I expected!”
Or maybe you’ve thought something along the lines of, “God, I am trying over here, but I’m not getting my prayers answered or seeing my dreams come true! I can’t take it anymore!”
Now look, I’m not going to tell you that it doesn’t hurt when your dreams turn to dust or when heartache hits home. It is deeply painful when life feels confusing and disappointing.
I have written much on this subject in my book The Louder Song: Listening for Hope in the Midst of Lament. Yet even in life’s “rejections,” you can trust that God is still in control. God is intimately and lovingly intertwined with the minute and major details of your days.
Therefore, even the most painful no’s in your life are actually a part of how God is redirecting, interjecting, guiding, ordering, and speaking some better, supernatural yesover you.
God, the Delightful Maze Designer, is taking you where he wants you to go — all so that you will experience more of his love, goodness, and power.
So, if you’re facing a closed door or rejection moment or some other confusing season of life, this is actually your opportunity to grow in faith. This is your invitation to believe that God is trustworthy.
In life’s foggy or confusing moments, cling to this truth: God is a Good Designer who has created your life with care, purpose, and intentionality.
And in God’s hands, every dead end, every bottleneck, all of it, will lead you to the place and to the people God has for you as you faithfully follow him.
Think about this: even with all the closed doors they faced in Acts 16, Paul and his companions didn’t give up; they just kept moving forward one step at a time.
They weren’t concerned with outcomes but with faithfully serving God. They didn’t have a map, but they had a call, and they trusted God to guide them.
So many of us are afraid to take a step of faith in confusing seasons of life because we’re like, Will I get it wrong? Will I miss God’s will?
Look, I promise you, God’s will for your life is bigger than your ability to miss it. Simply trust God to guide you as you move out in faith. Trust that God will use every rejection as a redirection in your life.
2. God’s Devotion
The second thing we discover in Acts 16 is that God moved the tides of history and the plans of these missionary men all for Lydia’s heart. God came for Lydia with love, purpose, and dignity. But God did not stop there.
Lydia became a part of Paul’s transformation into greater Christlikeness — as Paul watched God do more than he could ever have imagined in the life, leadership, and ministry of Lydia.
Many Bible scholars agree that Lydia actually became one of the first church leaders in Macedonia. Paul must have been so surprised by the amazing new thing God was doing in Lydia’s life and in the world.
The point is, when life feels confusing, foggy, or maze-like, it can be difficult to see the path in front of you, to know which way to go, or what next step to take. Even so, you can trust that God loves you so much, and he is always, always, always moving toward you with that love.
Again, God is ordering the details of your days, like the Grand, Delightful Maze Designer that he is, all so that you’ll experience more of his power, intimacy, and transformation. As the Bible says, God is constantly doing immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Just like God came for Lydia and moved in Paul’s life, God doesn’t keep us in our stuck mode or sameness or sinfulness. As you follow Jesus, God is transforming you with love into Christlikeness.
When you picture God, if you think God is looking at you with disapproval or anger or disappointment or as if you’re not doing enough — that’s not the voice of God over you.
God’s primary posture towards you is love — displayed most beautifully for you when Jesus died on the cross for you.
So, if the days feel foggy or confusing, remember these two truths: every rejection is God’s redirection, and God is always coming towards you with love and devotion.
You can trust his plan, his presence, and his delightful maze design, even when you can’t see the path in front of you.
3. God’s Faithfulness
In all your ways, acknowledge God, and he will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6).
Take some time this week to look back over the course of your life. What did some closed doors, dead ends, etc. lead to? I have a feeling you’ll see the hand of God’s redirection at work, even in those moments of rejection. Stop and praise God for his faithfulness.
Ask yourself this week: how is God moving towards me in love throughout my day? Maybe it’s a beautiful sunset or the kindness of a stranger. Praise him for all the ways he is showing you how much he loves you.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
How Should Christians Respond to Changing Seasons?
What Does the Bible Say about the Changes of Life?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/gremlin
