God is my GPS

For me the GPS has been one of the most amazing inventions. Getting lost is one of the scariest things that could ever happen to me. But it can be like that when living life, too. I am so thankful that I don't have to get lost in life's decisions because I have  God and his infinite wisdom to guide me in all I do.

I have been lost in a lot of places. I got lost walking around in France with my mother once. I also got lost driving through some very narrow one way streets in Los Angeles. 

One time my cousin Shari and I were around 12 and were walking around Mexico and we were walking back to the hotel after a walk with our parents and family. We walked ahead. We led the way thinking we knew just where to go. Unfortunately,  we didn't know just where to go. We missed a turn and kept on going straight where we should have turned.

After a while things started looking unfamiliar.  We became uncertain about where we were. We came across a woman on our way. Relieved to find someone, we went to ask her for help. Fortunately, we could speak Spanish. Hello we said in Spanish do you know how to get to . . . get to . . . We didn't even know the name of the hotel. We tried to describe it to her. It has a pool. . . . (of course, all of the vacation spots did) Nothing. She had no idea what we were talking about. 

Then we saw a policeman. Again, we asked for help. Did he know where our hotel was? Without a name it was hard for them to help us. That's it? I thought to myself as we walked away from the cop. Your not going to help us? We are young 12 year old girls and lost and we don't know our way and you are just going to let us walk away. Don't you know how dangerous this world can be?

Well, we finally got the good sense to retrace our steps and when we got near the turn we had missed there was my uncle looking for us.

Do you ever get the sense that life is just like a journey in a foreign land? What career do we pursue? What mate do we choose? Where should I live? Should I have children? How many? The decisions can be quite daunting and, to me, it can often be a scary thing. Life can often feel like navigating a complicated maze.

The good news is that we are not alone in it all. 

The King James Version of Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

The new living translation says it "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

I have found great comfort in these verses! I am very aware that we are going to be accountable for our lives. I don't want to mess up. It's awesome to know that if we acknowledge the Lord he WILL direct our paths. 

You see we ALL get lost or distracted and generally off track from time to time. Recently, Pastor Caleb at Water of Life Summit gave an analogy that I loved. Life can be like swimming in an ocean. We have our spot on land where we put our shoes, towel, etc. We get into the water but the waves and the tides push us this way and that. Before we know it we are in a completely different area in the water than we thought we'd be and our spot on land is barely within sight. But if we continue checking in we can adjust our position and avoid getting lost. The one we need to check in with is God. He is the one that will help us keep from getting lost. But, even if we have not checked in with him for a long time, he will do like my uncle did in Mexico. He will find us and lead us back into the right direction. All we have to do is allow ourselves to be led.

How does this work practically. Well, there are actually several ways that God communicates with us to get us on track. The bible is amazing for this. Knowing the word of the Lord (and listening to it) will help us avoid a lot of pain and troubles in life.

Prayer is another amazing way to communicate with the Lord. Jonah 2: 7 says "When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple." It is amazing that the Sovereign Lord, the creator of heaven and earth, hears MY prayers. We can ask God for direction in our lives and the strength to follow his plans for our lives.

For some people, God will speak to them in their dreams or give them a strong feeling. Have you ever done something that you knew you shouldn't and when things went wrong you said "I knew I shouldn't have done that." That feeling probably came from God.

Don't let yourself get frozen in indecision. God HAS a plan for your life and he will direct our paths, but, we won't always be completely sure we are making the right choice even after we have asked God to guide us. I have had friends who seemed paralyzed in fear at the thought of making the wrong choice. But in some cases it is better to make a choice than no choice - Some choices are pretty permanent and require some measure of assurance - like marriage. But, many don't. Another analogy, I heard a preacher once say it is easier to steer a moving boat than a still one. I don't steer boats often so I cannot completely relate to that. But it applies to driving too. If you are in a moving car it is easier to steer left  or right or even make a u turn. But if you stop your car, it doesn't matter how hard you move your steering wheel left or right, you are not going anywhere. Sometimes it can be like that with our life decisions, we can say, "I am not going to go to school until I figure out what my major or career will be." But, you may sit there for a long time without moving forward if you are waiting to somehow be sure. It may make sense to make a decision and, if necessary, adjust as you go along.
In those instances, we need to be honest with the Lord and pray "God I am not sure if this is the right decision but you have said in your word that you will direct my paths and you are not a man that you should lie (Numbers 23:19). To the best of my knowledge I feel that this (buying this house, taking this job, going to this school, going to this church, etc.) is the right decision. If I am wrong, please, let me know somehow." 

God is faithful and good. He will answer your prayers. And I know he appreciates that you are trying to submit your life to his plans.

Don't try to navigate this life alone. Allow the Lord to be your gps.