Head Scratcher — Philemon - Friday
Today’s Verse
Philemon 1:15
For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever… (ESV)
A few years back, I missed a flight that was supposed to take me to a conference where I was scheduled to speak. It was one of those mornings where everything went wrong—traffic, delays, a forgotten document. I arrived at the gate just in time to watch the plane push back without me. Frustrated and defeated, I sat down in the terminal and prayed—more out of habit than faith, to be honest. “Why this, Lord? Why now?”
A man sat down beside me a few minutes later. We exchanged the usual small talk. I learned he was traveling to visit his son in rehab. He seemed weary. I listened as he poured out pieces of his story. Then I shared a bit of mine. We ended up talking for over an hour, and before we parted, I prayed with him. As he walked away, he looked back and said, “I think I was supposed to miss my flight today.”
So did I.
We don’t always see the hand of God in the moment. Often, providence looks like inconvenience. It feels like closed doors, missed opportunities, or interrupted plans. But Scripture shows us that the detours in our lives may actually be the main road in God’s design.
Paul touches on that mystery when he writes to Philemon: “Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while…” He doesn’t presume to know exactly how or why God allowed Onesimus to run away, but he sees the greater picture unfolding—one that leads not just to reunion, but to transformation. Onesimus had left as a slave. Now he was returning as a brother.
Providence doesn’t erase the hardship. It redeems it.
APPLICATION
Maybe you’re in a season right now where things don’t make sense. A door closed. A relationship ended. A plan unraveled. Maybe you feel like Onesimus—wandering, uncertain, unsure of your future. Or maybe you’re like Philemon—sitting with the pain of someone’s absence, not yet knowing what God is doing in the background.
This verse is a reminder that God never wastes the waiting. He never loses track of the lost. Even our most broken detours can become divine appointments in His hands.
PRAYER
God, thank You that even when I can’t see the full picture, You are still writing a story of redemption and purpose. Help me to trust that every delay, every detour, and every disappointment is not wasted in Your providence. Give me eyes to look beyond the moment and believe that You are always working for my good and Your glory. Amen.