Trusting Our GPS

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye. “– Psalm 32:8

I live in a big city.
Like. . . really big. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life, there are just some parts of the city that are unfamiliar. When I have to go through them, rather than getting hopelessly lost, I choose to use GPS.

The other day was one of those occasions. I was on a busy road only three miles from my destination, but my GPS wasn’t telling me what I wanted to know.

“Continue on this road for two miles.” But was I supposed to turn left or right after that? And what was the name of the road I was supposed to be on next?

I felt like I had already gone two miles, and I started to wonder if I had already passed my turn.
I wanted to pull over and check my phone to find out. I wanted to know exactly what the next step was, and exactly how quickly it was coming up.
Had my phone shut off the GPS? Or was my signal lost?

I kept driving, my stomach tying up in knots as I worried about what was next. “In a quarter-mile, turn left onto Bell Road.” I breathed a sigh of relief and got into the left lane.

Sometimes, we trust God about as much as I trusted that GPS. As we’re traversing the highways of life, we feel the need to be constantly informed about where we are going. We worry that we are going to miss the next turn, and because of that, we act like we deserve constant updates from God about where we are. We fail to trust that He will direct our paths as He promised in Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understand. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.”

In the story I just related, I was worried that my GPS would fail to give me proper directions because it didn’t direct me the way I wanted. Is it possible that my GPS would fail me? Absolutely.

But Jesus will not fail us. We may not see where we are going, or know exactly what the next step in life is, but we can trust Him. He has never failed to give clear, adequate direction to His children. Walk today in what you know God has told you, and trust Him to direct you with His perfect timing.

By Rebecca Kruse