This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)]

In yesterday’s message, I compared God’s guidance to our car’s GPS. They both know where we are and can guide us in our journeys. Personally, I love the soothing voice of our navigation system. When we ignore its advice, it never yells or calls us names. A gentle voice just calmly corrects us by saying, “Make a legal U-turn.” Moreover, the GPS will eventually adjust to accommodate our plans if we decide to take a different route. On our way to Florida, for example, because of warnings posted about a back-up due to an accident, we exited the interstate to avoid an hours-long delay. A quick look at the map indicated that we could take a detour and get back on the interstate south of the pile-up. At first the GPS kept gently telling us to turn around so we simply muted the voice; we knew what we were doing even if it didn’t. Eventually, the navigation system agreed with our plan and directed us back to the interstate our way.

God, however, isn’t so obliging when we choose to go our way instead of His. One, we can’t mute His voice. We can try to ignore him, but we can’t mute Him. Two, He’s the one who decides whether or not we take detours. He’s not going to adapt His plans to accommodate us. Moreover, God’s correction is rarely as gentle as a soothing voice suggesting a legal U-turn. When they ignored God’s directions, Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish, Balaam’s donkey gave him grief when an angel blocked their way, and Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt. Finally, unlike the GPS, which we can turn on and off at will, God is always there and He expects obedience. He wants us to hear, trust, and submit to His plan, not ours.

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. [Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)]