Recalculating!

Last Friday I had to drive to Brookfield, Wisconsin to lead a retreat. I felt confident that I knew where I was going, but I ran it by Brian before I left home, after all, he drives this route often.

He warned me,  “When you get to Milwaukee, it will seem instinctual to exit left, but you need to stay right.” When I neared the exit, the GPS said, “Exit right.” But, when I got to the exit, the signs all seemed to be directing me to “Exit left”. So against sound advice and GPS direction, I followed my gut and exited left.

Then I heard, “Recalculating!”

How could I have been wrong???

Brian, “Stay to the right!”

GPS, “Exit right, here!”

Instinct, “Exit left!”

How was I to know that the right exit circled around to the west; and the left exit circled around to the east? Never mind that both Brian and the GPS told me I needed to take the right exit.

Fortunately, the GPS eventually directed me to my destination, but I had to abandon my instincts, stop reading road signs, and simply follow directions. Turn here!

Why didn’t I? Why don’t I when I’m following God. God knows what’s around the turn. God knows what the future holds. God knows the exact right path I should walk. God is guiding me every step of my life. He knows every detour. Every construction zone. Every traffic jam. And He will bring me to my destination efficiently if I will listen and obey.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.” – Psalm 73:23-24 NIV

Why is it that even though we pray and ask for direction; even though we read the Bible for guidance; even though we know what we should do – why do we so often let the distractions of our circumstances sway us to make wrong turns? Why is it that we place more value on what we see with our eyes, or feel with our hearts, than what we know to be true of God through His Word?

Why is it that when we get off the right path, we hesitate to call on God to recalculate our steps.

“He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries… Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” – Isaiah 30:19-21 NLT

I shared my frustration with a friend who was at the same event. She used her GPS to get there without taking a wrong turn. I asked her if she found the road signs distracting. She didn’t because she didn’t try to navigate by them. She listened to her GPS and when it said ‘turn here’ she turned. She trusted her GPS. Why else would she have it, or use it?

Trust. We say we trust God, but if we really did, wouldn’t His be the voice we follow every step of every day, so that we never hear, “Recalculating!”