Where Am I Going?

Your bags are packed (notice how I mentioned bags…) you have your coffee in one hand and your purse in the other. You are officially ready for the road. This road trip specifically is a trip that you’ve never been on before. It’s a new road, an unknown adventure. So, you load the new address into the GPS app and off you go.

Suddenly you hear… “in 2.3 miles turn left then make a right turn… Rerouting…” you see that there is 30 miles of traffic up ahead.  Your GPS quickly finds an alternate route and you are cheering it on as you sit in the car.

Next, you hear “Take route up ahead at next exit.” You inwardly hope that this route does not add hours to your trip, but you take it trusting the GPS has mapped out a new way that will keep you moving to your destination. With a deep breath and a sip of coffee you take the next possible exit and continue your journey…

These are the directions that we receive from any GPS or google maps when we are traveling to go somewhere whether we are visiting a friend far away, going to a conference, or venturing to a new place.

Have you ever been REROUTED? Have you ever made a wrong turn? Have you ever been in traffic and thought to yourself… WHY!! Then curiosity enters and you find yourself wondering about what happened on the road…

Sometimes the choice to sit in traffic or to find and allow the GPS to give you an alternate route is a big decision.

Sometimes is better to sit in traffic and sometimes it works out to go for that alternative route. Depending on your trust level for your GPS or Google maps friend.

The GPS has the capability to see what’s ahead in order to route us the safest and quickest way in order to get us to our destination. We trust that the GPS is going to take us to the place we want to be.

In order to follow the GPS, we must listen and stay alert for any changes along the way.

Likewise, our relationship with God is the same. It’s much like our everyday journey with Him. We must know His voice and understand that His ways are higher and better than our own.

Let’s focus in on two things: Knowing God’s voice and understanding His voice is a part of each and every day. Learning His voice takes time and each day we spend with Him we have the opportunity to know it more and more.

Have you ever made a decision because you thought you heard His voice, but then it didn’t work out and you then questioned hearing and knowing His voice?

Sometimes the Lord gives us clear and concise directions on when to move and sometimes His voice is silent, it’s in these moments when it’s our position to wait on Him. Through that stillness, in the waiting, He is faithful to reveal His plan. We must pray, we must seek and we must ask. The Lord will confirm it and He will reveal it in His timing. Let’s remember that when the motive and the posture of the heart is pure God is pleased and gives us grace when we miss it or second guess hearing His voice. We control how close to God we are. When we draw close to Him, God will draw close to us. When we are near to Him we then position ourselves to hear Him. There are blessings in listening and obeying the voice of God, let’s read about it in Deuteronomy.

“If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God,

and heartily obey all his commandments that I command

you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above

 all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down

on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded

to the Voice of God, your God:

God’s blessing inside the city,
God’s blessing in the country;
God’s blessing on your children,
    the crops of your land,
    the young of your livestock,
    the calves of your herds,
    the lambs of your flocks.
God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl;
God’s blessing in your coming in,
God’s blessing in your going out.

 God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads.” -Deuteronomy 28:1-7

Knowing His voice and listening to His voice. Those are the two most important things to know as God’s daughters as we follow Him. We must identify and obey God’s voice.

Let’s talk about identifying His voice for a moment. We all know the voice of our GPS friend… whether it’s in English, Spanish or French… a male’s voice or female voice… right? We know the sound of that particular tone and rhythm it uses to communicate.

When we identify the voice of the GPS voice, we know it, so we trust it

(except if you’re my husband but that’s for another story)

So, stay with me…

We know the sound so therefore we obey the direction given.

The same is for the voice of God. We as His daughters IDENTIFY His voice: we know the SOUND, the tone, the rhythm, and the language of our God. So we quickly recognize the sound therefore we listen and obey what He says when He says it.

There is a blessing when we listen and immediately obey His voice. The word of God says that God will bless your children, your city, your country, and your house will be covered with provision.

The one voice we can trust always, and all of the time is God’s voice.

God’s directions and ways do not need updates, or adaptions like the GPS apps that we have. God’s voice is trustworthy and pure.

His voice will always direct you and lead you to His plans and purposes that are GOOD.

Hearing and trusting His voice no matter if the way seems to be long or short, never underestimate His plan and purpose in the pace that He has set out for His sons and daughters.

There may be pit stops along the way or a rerouting that causes us to step into the moment where all we can do is pray for His will to be done.

Let me encourage you today that even though the journey is unknown, we have a God whose way can be KNOWN.

Let’s be sons and daughters who identify His voice and be quick to obey with a confidence of knowing that our Father is with us every step of the way.

His way will illuminate as we trust in Him.

Be the light today and every day.

Bethany Marshall