I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:7-8
I am so thankful for gps. Without it, I would literally be lost. I’m horrible at reading maps and am thankful to live in the age of technology. It’s so nice to get in the car and with just a few clicks have my destination mapped out for me. Before I had gps, I would have to print off directions from map quest, which I was thankful to have available to me. Before that, I would just get lost!
Actually, I wouldn’t venture too far from home because I was afraid I wouldn’t find my way back. I had good reason to be afraid because there were a few times I got really lost. Like, two hours off course lost! There’s something about not knowing where you are that is really scary.
For many of us, we know the awful feeling of being lost, both literally and figuratively. What do I do next? Should I change jobs? Should I go back to school? Should I end this relationship? Should I stick it out? Should I say something? Should I be quiet? Should I join this or stop that?
We’ve all been at crossroads in our life, when we wished there was a map that laid it all out for us. We may not have a gps for life that shows us the whole road already mapped out step by step, but we do have a compass.
God’s word is a “light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet.” It is filled with unwavering promises and life-breathing words of wisdom. Proverbs 3:5 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Much like a gps system, God’s system relies on trust, but He doesn’t lay out each step for our prior approval. We have to trust and lean on Him. Rely on Him. How? By communing with Him. Praying to Him. Giving over our concerns to Him. Asking Him for his guidance. Searching His word. Speaking it over our situation. It sounds simple, but for many of us, myself included, we miss it or skip it.
Instead, we lean on ourselves, relying on our own understanding. But something happens when we involve God in our life. Something changes in us when we ask God to take the wheel. We become dependent on Him. And through that dependence we truly act like the children of the Father. We look to Him….for everything.
And in looking to Him for everything, we begin to acknowledge Him in everything. We see Him in all the beauty and mystery of creation. We see His hand on our life and how He’s been there all the while. We praise Him in the morning and thank Him in the evening. We sing to Him when we’re doing the housework or driving to the store.
We do acts of love in His name because He’s done so much for us. We obey His word because we know His way is the best. And, we pray like we really mean it because, now, life really does depend on it. And in acknowledging Him in all we do and say and think, what does He do? He directs our paths. And when that path involves an avenue or street we’d rather not go down, we don’t take a detour around our faith because we know who our compass is.
Stay the course and God will point the way.
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