Using GPS

Yesterday my daughter had an appointment in a city larger than the one in which we live, so we decided to make a day of it and do some shopping. She’s preparing to leave for college and had been promised a shopping spree as a gift after her high school graduation. We thought this world pandemic gripping the earth would cancel her immediate plans, but with great care, we were able to push forward.

While trying to navigate a city I’m not overly familiar with, I set up the Waze application (app) on my phone to get me to the places we wanted to visit. When I first logged on, it told me over three thousand “wazers” were logged on in my area. This was good news as it works on real-time information received from other travelers. In short, it meant that the app had greater information to safely and quickly get me to my destination. All I had to do was follow directions.

Sounds simple right? Well, it is, if you follow directions. I didn’t. There were a few times where I turned left when it said to turn right. Or it would tell me to turn in one thousand feet and I’d turn at four hundred feet. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I’d forgotten a few very vital points.

Point one, I didn’t know where I was going. While I did have an end location in mind, I didn’t have a clue as to the best way to arrive there. Point two, I’m not good at gauging distances. Growing up in the country, I determined a mile by the distance from my house to Grandma’s house (give or take a bit). Point three was my perspective was off. I’d forgotten that my system was set in a northern perspective, meaning no matter which way I was actually traveling, North was always at the top. So if was headed in a southern direction, the map on my screen made right turns look left and lefts look right. And my final point, I couldn’t see the big picture. I didn’t know what was happening on the road between where I was and where I wanted to go, so I didn’t know if I need to avoid certain areas or watch out for debris on the road. But somehow, my GPS app did. Waze, with the help of input from other travelers, could see all of that and told me what to be wary of and which way to go so that I successfully navigated the best way to my destination.

God is like Waze 3.0. His word and His Spirit in you is the navigational system that will tell you the best route to take in order to get you where you need to be. Unlike Waze, He doesn’t need other people’s input to know if there are potential hazards along the way. He certainly doesn’t need my input. Also, He has a bigger perspective; one that includes hazards that haven’t even shown up on the road yet. He can see trouble before it happens and take you around it. He can even tell if it will be of some benefit for you to go through the trouble. He is the ultimate navigational system. We just need to watch and obey.

Since I’ve been “Sharing the Journey” I’ve watched, but I haven’t always obeyed. Not because I didn’t want to obey, I suppose I just subconsciously thought I knew better. (No one wants to admit that but if you don't do what God tells you to do, you are in fact saying you know better - which is a sin by the way. See James 4:17.) I’d get ahead of God or lag behind God and sometimes just sit and look at God without moving at all. I was always trying to figure out how to be better or how to serve God better so that He would love me and bless my life. But my GPS never told me to be better or do better. It told me - He told me - to believe. Believe who He is and all He’s said and or promised. Believe in the power of His love for me.

Maybe my problem has simply been that I forgot God already loves me so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that I would not perish but have everlasting life. (John3:16) Maybe I forgot that while I was still in my sin, Christ died for me because of His great love for me. (Romans5:8) Perhaps I forgot that I don’t have to earn God’s love or favor. I just have to receive it.  I guess I simply forgot that my relationship with the Father through the Son will create changes in my life and attitude making me the new and improved me I desire to be. (2Corinthians 5:17)

 

Precious Father in Heaven, I give you glory, honor, and praise as I thank you for who You are and all you’ve done. Father, I cannot begin to tell of all the ways you’ve made and all the blessings you have bestowed. Just your presence in my life is beyond anything I could ever deserve, yet You have freely given to me your love and your goodness. It is a gift and like any gift, all I have to do is receive it. I receive your love today, Father, and with the help of Your Spirit, I will walk in it and share it with others all the days of my life. Even as You have promised me in Your Word, lead me in the way I should go, and may I spend the remainder of my days serving you out of love and gratitude. Thank you, Father. Amen.

(Psalm32:8, Isaiah48:17, Isaiah30:21)