Angels • Devotion 6

GPS
Sierra Combs

If you know me well, you certainly know that I do not like to drive. I also do not like being the navigator. Prior to iPhones and GPS, putting me in this position was absolutely useless, if not detrimental. Even with the technology, I am more than likely going to get distracted and forget to tell you where to turn. I have always wanted to go on “The Amazing Race” but my terrible sense of direction would disqualify me from the get-go. If it is up to me, I will get lost. If only someone else could take the wheel and navigate and just give me a bag of candy, a pop, and let me know when we get there. Would it not be so nice if life were like that? Unfortunately for me, that is not how it works. I cannot just coast along and end up in the right place. Fortunately though, as a child of God, He does provide direction and He is certainly more reliable than an early 2000’s Mapquest (obviously). Actually, when you listen, you will find that His navigation system will lead you to the right place every single time.

As we spend the season studying the Christmas story, you may have noticed a time when God very literally directed Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. Matthew 2:13-15 tells us, “When they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” This is pretty straightforward navigation. God used an angel to tell them exactly what they needed to do, where they needed to go, and why they needed to do it. If it could only be that easy for us, right? Even though we may not be led in the same literal and obvious way, God still directs our paths today in a very real way. The ways He chooses to guide us are not limited, but what matters most is that we listen and obey.

The most obvious way the Lord directs us is through His Word which was written down and bound into a book we call the Bible. We call it His Word because it is, in fact, His words! In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Psalm 119:105 says that His word “is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God has given us clear direction in His Word. Are you opening it up and hearing what He has to say? Are you listening; are you obeying? His word is evergreen and it is sufficient. If you listen, He will guide you.

The Lord has also so wondrously given His children the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we are born again, the Spirit of God comes to live inside of us. He will never leave us and will comfort, teach, and direct us if we let Him. As we give up control of our lives to God and walk in step with His Spirit, He will convict us of our sin, give us wisdom, and guide us in the way we should go. When we make it a priority to read and memorize Scripture, He will bring just what we need to our minds when we need it. He then leaves it up to us to choose to obey. While it is not always easy, His direction is always accurate and always for our good. His way is the best way!