Directions
Scripture Reading — Romans 12:1-8
You will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
Recently we added a global positioning system (GPS) to take along on our travels. A GPS points you directly to your destination by commanding you to “turn right at 300 meters” or to “go 1.3 miles and turn left.” And if you make a mistake, the voice repeats, “As soon as possible, turn around.”
To be honest, I prefer using maps. With a map you get a wider view of the direction you need to go, and you can make choices along the way.
When it comes to knowing God’s will for our lives, we often want specific directions, like those from a GPS device. We want direct answers to our complex questions: “Should I marry this person?” “What career should I choose?” “Should we sell our home and move into a retirement community?” And then, if we make a mistake, we like to be told to turn around.
But coming to know God’s direction for our lives is more like reading a map. God makes clear in his Word the direction our lives ought to take, and he promises to guide us and be with us always. But along that way we are called to “test and approve what God’s will is.” We need to be in prayer, to offer our lives “as a living sacrifice,” and to be in contact with other believers. We also need to know where God desires to use us. We need to live in the very center of God’s will, and he will indeed direct our paths.
Thank you, Lord, for the map contained in your Word. Help us to consult it daily and discover and follow the everlasting way through Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
About the author — Gerrit J. Bomhof
Gary Bomhof is pastor of First Christian Reformed Church, Red Deer, Alberta. He and his wife, Jo-Ann, have four children and five grandchildren.
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