God's GPS

I got an iPhone this past year and discovered the magical world or GPS (Global Positioning System). I’d enter coordinates of a street address and a pleasant voice would say, “In 800 feet, turn left.” Prior to my using GPS, I used MapQuest. I would print out the directions and off I’d go.

I must admit, it took me awhile to adjust to GPS from my paper printout. As I closely listened for the next instruction on GPS, I found myself missing knowing the end from the beginning of all the instructions from point A to point B. (I recently discovered where I could look up the steps in my phone GPS).

If I got lost or simply thought I knew a better route, my GPS would recalculate directions and without missing a beat, would redirect me from where I was. One time I was driving to a doctor’s appointment from a different direction. The appointment was on 3300 South in Salt Lake City. When I was on I-215 N heading toward I-80 W, I saw an exit that said 3300 South. I thought this would be a short cut and a sure way to reach my final destination.

However, whenever I made a move toward the 3300 South exit and off-course from my initial path, my GPS would try to direct me away from this exit. I took the exit anyway and my GPS kept trying to still direct me away from 3300 S. I eventually figured out that my GPS was right. 3300 S didn’t seem to go through at that juncture to reach my final destination.

Now following my GPS, I was directed to 3900 South and later Highland Drive and finally to 3300 S where I made it to my appointment in the nick of time.

 

 

I found some parallels between using a GPS and God’s GPS (the Spirit). God knows where we are and where we want to go for our final destination (heaven) and every step required to get there.  But God only reveals one step at a time and we have to trust His voice. We don’t know the end from the beginning and every step between. But God does. He doesn’t usually give us instructions to go in a certain direction in our lives until the last moment.

Sometimes we think we know better than God and try to find our own path. But God knows what’s in our best interests and He gently redirects us to the path to reach our eternal destination. Similar to Global Positioning System, where signals bounce off satellites, perhaps our prayers and need for direction, bounce off heaven and come back to us. 

Just as it took me awhile to adjust to listening and following the voice of my GPS, it’s taken me time to adjust to the voice of God’s GPS, the Spirit. Now I delight listening to directions from God’s GPS. Sometimes I still get frustrated that I don’t know the end from the beginning. As I listen to the Spirit, I stay on track better and spend less time lost or going in circles. However challenging and heart-rending my life seems at times, if I’m following God’s play by play instructions, then I know I’m still on track to reach my final destination.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”