Take the Detour | 1 Samuel 29–30

What do you do when life does not go the way you planned? In this message, Pastor Casey Kendall teaches from the life of David in 1 Samuel 29–30, showing how God often leads us through unexpected detours that feel confusing, painful, or even like punishment—but are actually His protection, correction, and preparation.

Using a story about ignoring the Waze app and getting stuck on the 405, Pastor Casey draws a parallel to how we often ignore God’s prompts because His way looks inconvenient or slower. Through David’s detour to Ziklag, we see that God is not just ordering our steps, He’s also ordering our stops.

David faces deep loss, grief, and even the threat of being stoned by his own men—yet Scripture says, “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” From there, God leads David through a process of review, return, refuge, and recovery, culminating in David recovering all that had been taken.

And ultimately, this message points us to Someone greater than David—Jesus—who stepped into our brokenness, fought our greatest enemies (sin, death, and the grave), and recovered all that we could never restore on our own.