Leaders must sometimes do the unexpected to get big or at least different results. In fact, the Lord will occasionally guide us to do something that seems crazy.

A number of Jesus’ disciples, some of them seasoned fishermen, had been fishing all night without success. Jesus comes along and tells these veterans of the sea to cast their nets on the right-hand side of the boat. Now, if I was one of those sleep-deprived, empty-netted disciples, I would have thought, “What difference would that make?” However, the disciples obeyed this stranger (they didn’t know it was their beloved Lord yet). The result – a net bursting with fish.

Sometimes, Jesus will ask us to do something unusual. Will we keep doing the same-old, same-old, producing the same results, or will we take a chance and obey?

Do you ever feel like hiding when you sense God calling you to do something that is out of your comfort zone? When Samuel announced Israel’s new king, the new king was nowhere to be found. In fact, Saul was hiding among the baggage (1 Samuel 10:22). Without reading too much into the story, it appears that Saul did not feel up to the task. It was easier to hide in the shadows. However, God often calls us to leave the shadows. Perhaps, today is the day to step out from your hiding place and boldly follow God wherever he leads.

Do you ever get frustrated with life’s disappointments and detours? I certainly do. I like to move in what I think is a direct line to what I believe is God’s plan for me. Yet, God’s ways are so much higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:9) and I’m learning this His ways often include detours

In 1 Samuel 9, Saul and a family servant set out to find some lost donkeys. Their three-day search takes them to the hometown of Samuel, the prophet. Upon their arrival, the servant suggests that they ask Samuel about the location of the donkeys. They proceed to do so, not realizing that God had told Samuel the day before that He was sending Saul to him so that Samuel could anoint him as the leader over Israel (v. 16). God used some wayward donkeys to get Saul and Samuel in the same place for this momentous occasion. Saul was anointed king and the donkeys were found by others. God definitely had a purpose in leading Saul on this donkey detour.

Of course, most of us do get discouraged when we encounter apparent setbacks. However, when we increasingly know God (really know Him ) as sovereign, we will believe (deep down in our hearts) that God can even cause the detours to work together for good. The detours become detours with a purpose (or DWAP’s, for short). Leaders with a high view of God’s sovereignty may get discouraged initially when faced with unexpected detours, but soon recapture hope, purpose, and confident optimism as they revel in the knowledge that their Leader is in control.