Your own ear will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go, whether to the left or to the right.” [Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)]
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. [Psalm 34:19 (NLT)]
Within a day of having written yesterday’s words about trusting Jesus and following Him, God reminded me how difficult it is to actually do that. Granted, it wasn’t God’s voice we were following but His point was well taken. Mid-way through our 1,400 mile drive north, the GPS cautioned us of one accident after another within a few miles ahead of us. After the first such warning, I studied the map trying to find a detour but couldn’t seem to find a route that wouldn’t lead us right back into the accident area and the promised lane closures. When five accidents lay right in our path, not wanting to spend hours in a traffic jam, we reluctantly decided to let the GPS lead us around the congestion. Following its guidance, my husband exited the interstate while I kept trying to figure out what route we’d be taking. Although the GPS screen always indicated the direction of the next turn, we never knew the long-range plan for returning to the highway. We simply had to trust the GPS and take it one turn at a time. Of course, with my trusty map, I tried to second-guess the GPS the entire way. I just couldn’t cede complete control to that sweet calm voice directing us. Without any help from me, however, that voice got us back on the interstate well north of all of the accidents and congestion.
Had I been alone in the car, without someone riding shotgun with map in hand, I probably wouldn’t have trusted the GPS to lead me off the highway. Reluctant to abandon my original plan, I would have ignored its repeated warnings and driven into trouble. Unwilling to navigate knowing only one turn at a time, I would have encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic.
On occasion, the GPS has let me down so my trepidation about it is understandable. God, on the other hand, had never failed me and yet I fight His detours all of the time. As hesitant as I was about navigating just one turn at a time, I’m even more hesitant to live my life that way. Of course, we know God’s long range plan for all of us—salvation—but His route rarely seems direct. God-ordained detours that direct us off the path we’ve been taking occur all of the time and they rarely come with a detailed explanation. Taking God’s detours requires trusting a loving God to get us where we’re supposed to be without us knowing how He’s going to do it.
Heavenly Father, intellectually, we know your plan is a good one; help us to truly believe that spiritually. Thank you for the reminder that what may seem like a detour to us is just part of the route you’ve already mapped out for us. Give us faith enough to hear your voice and heed your directions. Release us from our fear when we can’t see what lies ahead—may we trust your infinite wisdom in giving us only one day at a time.
around me, myself and I: my toys, my games, my friends, my wants, my school, my plans. As I matured, I became a little less self-involved but I have to admit that my priorities still revolved around me: my education, my husband, my children, my family, my projects, my future! All of these are important, but no matter how much I love my husband, children and grandchildren, and no matter how worthwhile my projects or causes, none of these should be my first priority. That should always be God.
According to the Boston Globe, the college class of 2015 graduated with an average of over $35,000 in student debt. That’s a mammoth $56 billion in student debt, giving them the dubious honor of being the most indebted class in history. It’s likely that honor will pass to the class of 2016 come June. While a few occupations may qualify for student loan forgiveness programs, one way or another, that debt must be repaid. Recent college grads aren’t the only ones in debt. According to NerdWallet, the average American household carries nearly $131,000 in debt for such things as student loans, credit cards, mortgages, and both auto and personal loans. Even if we are fortunate enough to have no personal debt, the national debt of over nineteen trillion dollars still weighs heavily on each and every one of us. With a nation that has clearly spent more than it can afford, it’s too bad we no longer follow the laws in Deuteronomy for the Israelites that prohibited charging interest and canceled all debts every seven years.
Devotions of the Heart 