I use my GPS app to go just about everywhere, especially on weekdays when traffic can be unpredictable. Sometimes I use my GPS because I do not know where I am going, but I also use it to determine if there is a better route that will get me there based on the conditions of traffic.
Yesterday, I put in the address to the destination I have been traveling to all week. The GPS directed me to take a route that was different from the one I had taken earlier in the week and naturally, I was a bit concerned. I couldn’t even see how the route would lead me to my destination because in my mind, the exit and the destination were in two different parts of town. But I was early and I had a few extra moments, just in case the GPS was wrong. I skeptically travelled the recommended route and to my surprise, I arrived at my destination.
Sometimes the GPS takes me down a route that I’m unfamiliar with, or a route that I just don’t prefer. Sometimes, the route takes me through some sketchy places and suddenly, I become afraid and I start to doubt the GPS. A few of those times, I have ended the trip on the app and restarted my phone, to ensure that there was no error with my technology.
There are times when the GPS routes me one way and I consciously make a decision to choose another route because I think I know a better route, I want to be in control of where I’m going and how I get there. The GPS automatically reroutes me, but I still travel down the road I want to go. There are other times when I subconsciously diverge from the given path because I’m focused on the noise around me (kids, radio, audiobook, music, nosing at what other people are doing in their cars and on the roads, etc).
Our walk with God is much like this. God is leading us step by step through his Word, through signs, through His voice speaking to us but we are constantly choosing alternate routes, doubtful that we will arrive at our destination.
Oftentimes, we may disagree with or question God’s chosen route. Is this really where I need to be? Do I really need to go through this experience? Why me, Lord? Lord, surely You realize that I been in one too many battles this year, are you sure you want me to have another one? We fight it by trying to go a different path. God puts people, blaring signs in our path to reroute us. But still we choose to go our own way. Other times, we know that the given path is best, but we choose to “negotiate” the best we can with God.
But God is not interested in negotiating with me. He already knows what lies ahead. He already knows the traffic patterns, the setbacks and obstacles I will face ahead and so He leads me, one experience at a time, one step at a time. Each experience or route has been designed especially for me, designed to deposit the truth of His identity and the certainty of His Word in me.
Psalm 33 reminds me that God’s plans are not failing. No matter how many detours I take, no matter how much extra time I spend learning a particular lesson, no matter how many heart breaks I go through, no matter how many times I struggle to learn this one lesson, no matter how frustrating it seems. God’s plans are not failing. God’s plans are going to withstand and come to fruition. He will get me to my destination and my purpose but only if I’m listening and following Him.
So with a mound of questions, I follow you God. With tears in my eyes, I still follow you. When I doubt the destination and the path you’ve chosen for me, I’ll hold on tighter and still go. When I am tempted to follow the other drivers as they travel through life, I will stay tuned in to Your voice, Your Word.
Lord, help me to hear and obey you when you are directing and redirect my path. Help me to trust your never failing plans for my life.
What are some of your challenges and victories with allowing God to lead you?
