God's GPS

 

Recently, we talked about whether are you operating under your own power (pushing the car) or using God’s power (driving the car).  Keeping with our automotive metaphor, let’s look at God’s GPS.  He determines the destination, the route, and the speed. I don’t know about you but sometimes I have trouble trusting the GPS. I think I know a better way and often end up getting lost and arriving late.  Similarly, I can try to create shortcuts in life, but God knows where I need to be, how to best get there, and when I need to arrive.

 

Psalm 37: 23-24 - The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Things to think about:

Destination

·       As a believer, we know our final destination is in Heaven

o   John 14: 2-4 – “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

o   But we have many interim stops along the way

§  Each is for our own good, the good of others, and the building of God’s Kingdom

o   Where we think we are going and what God knows is best aren’t always the same

Route

·       When we look at Paul’s three missionary journeys, he encountered all kinds of detours and obstacles

o   Shipwrecks, beatings, the inability to get to where he thought he wanted to go

·       But as we see in our focus verse, the Lord directs our steps

·       When we look at some of the biggest mistakes people made in the Bible, they are often the result of ignoring the GPS and trying to take a shortcut

o   Abraham with Hagar

o   David with Bathsheba

·       We have to trust that God’s route is better than ours

o   Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

o   It’s often for our protection

§  Psalm 27:11 - Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.

o   Sometimes it’s for a purpose much greater than we could have imagined (like Joseph and his brothers)

§  Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 

o   Rarely would we choose God’s route but we miss so much when we go off course

Speed

·       Are we there yet???

·       This might be the most challenging aspect of God’s GPS – it always seems like the longest route!

o   Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

o   2 Peter 3:8-9 - But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

o   James 5:7-8 -  Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Are you staying the course God has laid out or do you find your life’s journey is constantly “recalculating”?  If you feel lost or turned around,

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.