“Oh no! Which way?”

If you use GPS I have a feeling that I won’t be the only person who has ended up going the wrong way in spite of verbal instructions to —  “in 100 yards, turn left.”  Well, I did turn left, but I guess it was too early to turn left because I knew I was on a road that was not the correct one.  I must have turned in 50 or 60 yards instead of 100.  Streets were close together.  Cars were close behind, so how could I slow down to better see and think!  Butterflies began churning deep within.  Suddenly, I hear a somewhat panicked voice call out, “Oh no!  Which way?”  For some reason I feel startled that the panicked voice is my own.  I even glance sideways and in my rearview mirror to see if the other passengers noticed.  They did.  “You went the wrong way,” the backseat driver helpfully points out.  I say nothing to this obvious statement which probably adds to the tension only there because of my own nervousness.  “I’ll find a place to turn around,” I am forcing my voice to sound calm.  Then the GPS speaks out, “Recalculating.  In one mile turn right.”  The GPS immediately knew my mistake.  In seconds I was back on track, led to turn back onto the road intended.  All was well.  I breathe a sigh of relief.

When we are safely on the correct road and my panic level slows back to true calm, I begin to think about life’s directions that we are given from our Heavenly Father.  There are the easier instructions that we can read in black and white in Gods’ Word.  Then there are the holy instructions that are whispered to us in the innermost place of our minds.  This is the place where the Holy Spirit is guiding our daily walk; the place from where we must listen intently to recognise His voice.  Sometimes we get it wrong.

Have you ever gone in a particular direction, only to find that spiritually, it wasn’t the way to go?  You truly believed the road you were travelling was the right one until it becomes obvious that you have taken a wrong turn.  Panic sets in.  You thought you heard God.  You thought you heard right.  “Oh no! Which way?”

At the exact moment of our call to help, the Holy Spirit, like our GPS, begins to re-route.  He is most capable to lead us back onto the intended path.  We all get it wrong at times but may I encourage you not to beat yourself up?  Our Father understands our frailties.  He knows we are not perfect.  He doesn’t look at the outside chaos of our lives and judge our inadequacies; He looks at the intent of our hearts and showers us with love.  He knows when we have pre-programmed our intent to travel the right path.  Therefore, He will always, without exception, guide us back onto the correct road.

Just keep looking up, trusting the One who is always ready to “make the crooked places straight.”  Isaiah 40:4