By Not Known
Recently my clan had to make our way to a family gathering held in the northern part of Singapore. It was not the first time ‘up north’, but we always had difficulty with the roads leading there. This time, we decided to use turn-by-turn (GPS) navigation on my phone. As we travelled, we obeyed every instruction from the ‘man’ in the phone. When ‘he’ told us to turn left, we turned left, we didn’t even have to look at the screen, ‘he’ just talked to us. We listened, trusted in ‘him’, and the journey went on without a hitch.
Similarly every year is like a journey we take. There are roads and areas in life that we are not confident of navigating through. Sometimes, in the stress of navigation, we end up lost, or worst, get into an accident. But thank God that He doesn’t leave us to navigate life on our own. With his Spirit and through his written word, he guides us along our life’s journey. And when we listen and obey, we can be safe, confident and rested in where life takes us.
Have you ever turned the wrong way on purpose while using GPS ? Do you notice what it does? It reconfigures the route! And it shows you a new way to go! It doesn’t give up on trying to help, it just provides another route.
Now let’s say that you decided you don’t need any help and you turn it off. But you got lost, so you turn it on again.
What does the GPS do now? It continues to pin-point where you are and give you a new route to go!
In spite of our failures to follow its instructions, at every possible moment, we have the opportunity to obey, listen and get back on track. Friends, this is exactly how God’s grace is at work in our lives!
God is with us, and guides us by his Spirit. Yes, even through times when we willfully disobey, God continues undeterred to prompt us to surrender to his leading for He knows best.
Job 12: 9-10 tells us the reason that he knows best, “Ask the birds and animals or speak to the earth and fish, they all know what the hand of the Lord has done. In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” God is the one who decides, and gives life. It is true, isn’t it? He made us, so surely he knows what’s best for us.
God has graciously allowed us to live through the first 20 days of 2013; our comings and goings are observed by Him. Have you been living each day tuned to his leading, in trust and obedience?
The good news is that we have 345 days left of the year to go. May we lock in to God’s leading and prompting as we live this God-given year to the full!
Amos Lau