G-D is my G P S

GOD = G P S

                                                G ------P------------S

Grace - Protector - Savior ©

By Pastor Mike Siver

October 21, 2019

While driving to Sundance Motor to get a car I just purchased serviced. It is about a 2-hour drive and having only been one time before and not the driver I had no idea how to get there. Being of the modern times I do not carry any road maps any longer.

I went to my cell phone and brought up the app for maps and GPS to find my way. I punched in the address and watched while it told me not only how to get there but gave several different routes and the time each route would take, how many roads were closed or having work done on them. The GPS also informed me of the gas stations on the way and if I was hungry where to stop for food.

It’s at that time I believe I understood how much total faith and trust I had to put in the GPS to get to my destination.

I learned the hard way several years ago when my wife (Bless Her) bought our first GPS. We spent time reading the instructions and learning how to program it. Once we (I) thought we had it figured out and decided to use it for the first time I made such a big deal about how this was going to be so good for us, I felt so proud this old-timer was using modern technology you couldn’t contain my excitement. To say modestly the first time was interesting. Neither my wife nor I had any idea where we were going. We had never been there before and had no idea of what direction or how far it was away, all we had was an address.

Here we go, we plugged in the address and started off and it turned out to be a real adventure. As we drove the GPS would say after 2 miles turn right and follow the road for so many miles. We drove for what I thought was the number of miles (never checked the millage) it said when I started to question where we were the GPS said in another mile turn right again. It was at this point I really started to question the “thing”. I thought in my own inevitable way this “thing” has taken us for miles and made us take only two right turns – is this “thing” (it’s a “thing” now) taking us in a circle and has no more idea than I do where we are.

So, I stopped the car and started looking for a map. Then I remembered after my wife bought me the GPS (thing) and to make her happy I threw away all the maps I used to keep in the car.   

So, I turned off the “thing” and turned it back on and reprogramed the address in again. I forgot that when you do that it gives you the direction for where you are at the time. So, when I looked at it I was even more confused. This “thing” is telling me to start from here and go straight for 9 miles. Now I’m getting really, really frustrated because it is telling me to start at a place I didn’t know and go 9 miles to another place I didn’t know. If my wife had not been in the car, she paid for the GPS to make me happy it would be on the road in as many pieces as possible. As that was not the case, I bit my tongue, but she knew I was getting upset (if she only knew I was not getting upset I was already mad).

We started to drive again and because and I lost some of my trust and faith in the “thing” I only followed some of the directions and used my own judgment when I felt like I need to. It got to the point the “thing” was telling me to turn here and turn there and turn around and go back 6 miles. Now I’m getting more and more frustrated and it started to show in my attitude and langue. My wife knew and just sat in the corner as close to the door as she could get.

It finally got to the point I stayed on the same road and just drove looking for a little store or gas station. All the way the “thing” was telling me to turn here, turn around, turn here again on and on. We finally got to a little country store and we stopped I went in and asked the owner if he knew how to get to the address, I showed him. He yes but you are a long way from it. He got a paper and drew me a map of just how to get there. I said thank you and went to the car.

We started driving following the hand-drawn map and I followed his directions with trust and faith that he was honest and would not mess with us, although it did cross my mind. I kept following the shop keepers’ little hand-drawn map. When we got to the destination and turned in the driveway the “thing” said you have arrived.

Now comes my wake-up call.

By not trusting and having faith in the GPS directions and relying on my own judgment and choices got me totally lost to the point I had to put my trust in a total stranger. Not only did I get lost, but the worst part is I took an innocent victim, my wife, with me and it could have been worse.

I learned a valuable lesson that day,

My ego and stubbiness thinking I knew better and like with my past choices got me lost and took an innocent person with me. On reflection that seems to have been my life. A lot of people throughout my life have tried to help me, gave good advice, and tried to put me in the right direction and on the right path. Like most of the other times, I took from them what I thought I needed and ignored the rest.

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

If I had learned to trust people earlier in my life and listen to them and not lean on my own understanding, I would not have gotten into so much trouble and my life would have been so much easier.

Now today leaving my home and heading to a location about 2 hours away I programmed the address into the G-P-S and followed the directions without question.

I let go and have faith and trust in the G-P-S and it got me to where I wanted to go safe and on time.  

Now I understand Proverbs 3: 5-6

We are given a great book of G-D’s word that gives us all the directions we need to live a safe and prosperous life, why does it seem very hard to trust the book.

Why is that?