Obstacles on our journey are often viewed negatively as signposts warning us away from a particular path or barriers placed by the enemy to hinder progress. Obstacles do get in the way, of course. But can they also be a springboard to forward momentum?

Working my way through the book of Acts, I came to the start of Paul’s long road to Rome and noted the obstacles he faced on his journey. Throughout his ministry, roadblocks were used to prevent movement one direction while pointing another. They kept him humble. Some were placed by the enemy to hinder progress. In contrast, one obstacle described in Acts 23 brought forward movement.

The Spirit had warned Paul he was heading for hardship and Rome. Soon after his arrival in Jerusalem, however, he got stuck. A somewhat indecisive government official wrongly imprisoned him while religious leaders bickered. Then came an assassination plot, an even bigger obstacle. Yet, it was just this plot that galvanized the official into action, and moved Paul to the city from which he would eventually sail to Rome. The threat to his life brought forward momentum.

The next two-plus years were marked by a series of stops and starts on Paul’s long journey to Rome. In the face of every roadblock, however, the Spirit blew Paul exactly where He wished, sometimes literally. Moreover, each obstacle along the way was used as a springboard to eternity, giving a wide variety of individuals opportunity to turn from darkness to Light, from power to Power.

Paul’s experiences were already on my mind when Ying and I met for lunch. As our friendship has grown over many years, our conversations have plumbed the depths of meaning and scaled the heights of heaven. More than once, she’s been on the receiving end of seemingly miraculous answers to my intercession. Recently, in spite of a wealth of opportunity and financial security to rely on, she’d seemed close to turning from power to Power.

That day over lunch, however, an apparent obstacle appeared on Ying’s path. She’d applied for a special program through her company that would take her abroad for a few years, to a place where she is unlikely to have conversations like ours. Over the next few months, regardless of any potential consequences, she doggedly persisted through a series of challenges before the paperwork was completed.

I’d feel discouraged if not for a conversation a few days before Ying’s departure. As she waited out one final hurdle, she spoke in a way reminiscent of some of Paul’s words and attitudes. Whether the last document came through or not, she confidently expressed, her plans did not depend on human intent but rested in hands of Power.

Rather than hindering progress, is going abroad triggering forward momentum and turning Ying to Power? Will the ongoing challenges of being away from home and family while living and working in a new culture be a springboard to eternity?

My experiences with Ying inspire me to consider other friends. After nearly ten years of plumbing the depths and scaling the heights, Zhou finally seemed ready to consider turning from power to Power. Then, he immediately became busy at work. Could this roadblock of busyness be a catalyst for change?

I also think of the two families whose hearts seem as dry as the barren lands they inhabit,

the high school seniors being suffocated by the education system,

my friend strangled by grief as she trudges through the valley of the shadow of death,

and so many others.

Are these friends facing obstacles placed by poor choices, sinful systems, or an enemy with nefarious intent? Or is each apparent obstacle a catalyst for forward momentum?

Regardless of the answer to the first question, the Power of all powers is able to answer the second with a resounding, “Yes!” In the face of human weakness, He’s in the business of both/and.

May each roadblock, no matter its source, springboard to eternity!