Divine Disruption: Life Is Like a Roller Coaster

But if it doesn’t please you to worship the LORD, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship — the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living?

As for me and my family, we will worship the LORD. — Joshua 24:15

My siblings and I grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. One of the highlights of our summers was spending the day at Six Flags Over Texas, an amusement park that was a quick thirty-minute drive from home. Looking back as an adult, I cannot imagine how we got any pleasure out of standing in line for two hours for a minute-and-a-half ride on Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure. Have you ever been to Texas in the summer? It’s like 105 degrees with 1,000 percent humidity, and Six Flags is two hundred acres of concrete and steel.

But, whatever. We were kids, and we loved going to Six Flags, laughing and acting crazy with our friends, eating Dippin’ Dots, and riding all the rides. Our favorite was the Shock Wave, a double-loop roller coaster that was once upon a time one of the tallest and fastest in the world.

One day we hit the front gate as soon as the park opened, and we made a mad dash for the Shock Wave before there was a line. Sure enough, not one person was there before us. Front car! It wasn’t even that hot out yet.

We whizzed through the turnstiles toward the launch station. Finally, the bright-blue coaster was in sight. That’s when I noticed a yellow rope blocking the entrance. A sign hanging from the rope informed us that the ride was closed.

About then, someone wearing Six Flags coveralls with the word “Engineer” on the back walked by with a toolbox in his hand. Because I am inquisitive by nature and I don’t just accept things without knowing why, I asked, “Hey, why is the Shock Wave shut down? This is what we came here for.”

“Yeah, there’s some stuff we gotta adjust and check out,” he said. “Sorry, but we can’t do any type of maintenance when the ride is running.”

Anxious, inquiring minds want to know more, so I asked, “When will it be done? Ten minutes? An hour? By the end of the day for sure, right?” I must drive people crazy with all my questions.

“Well, we have to take our time,” the engineer explained. “It won’t be today. Or even tomorrow. Actually, this roller coaster will probably be closed for several days. See, we’re turning you and your buddies upside down twice in an open-air car that’s going sixty miles per hour. So we have to make absolutely sure that every tiny bolt, screw, and wheel on this thing is safe and secure.”

I stood there and thought about what the engineer had said. On the one hand, I was disappointed. We had gotten up early, booked it across town, and run through the park with high hopes of being first on the Shock Wave. On the other hand, I knew what he was telling me was not only true, but it was for my own good. I was simply going to have to wait. Once I calmed down, I realized I did not want to ride some crazy double-loop roller coaster if it needed maintenance.

One time a friend of mine got stuck going up the Shock Wave’s first hill. You know the really big one that seems like forever to get up before you take what normally is the biggest dive down into the rest of the ride. Some Six Flags staffers had to climb up and undo the harnesses so everybody could climb back down. Know why? Something needed maintenance.

So I had to decide something that morning.

Did I believe the engineer knew what he was talking about or not?

In the same way, we have to make a decision concerning God, the One who engineered our minds, bodies, and spirits, the Creator who makes the wheels of the universe turn.

Can we take Him at His word? Does He know what He is talking about or not? Because life can be a lot like that roller coaster. It moves fast and whips you every which way, and none of us want to fall out when everything turns upside down.

When you feel like your life has shut down and you have to wait, do you trust the Engineer? When the ride has been disrupted, are you going to have faith that God is still in control?

Excerpted with permission from Divine Disruption by Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans, copyright Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, and Jonathan Evans.

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Your Turn

Trusting God while we wait is challenging. Do you trust Him? Do you believe He is working for your good? Do you know that He is still in control? Come share your thoughts with us. ~ Devotionals Daily