Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
I love taking road trips in our minivan. We have driven many a miles with blind faith, relying totally on the GPS, never even consulting a map. Recently we needed to get from Arlington National Cemetery to our hotel in College Park, Maryland. We plugged in the hotel address into our GPS, and away we went. Apparently, whoever programmed the GPS thought the most direct route between those two cities was straight through downtown Washington DC...yes, right down Pennsylvania Avenue. Stop. Go. Red light. Red light. Red light. One after the other. Through some 'lock your door' areas. Red light. Red light. Red light. Until finally, we arrived seemingly "on the other side of the world" at our hotel. If we had only known! I am sure we would not have chosen to take the scenic view to the hotel.
Faith in the Lord is a lot like that GPS in my van. Sometimes we decide that we want to go somewhere or be somewhere by a certain time in our life. We put our faith in God, expecting and trusting He'll get us there. We pray for guidance and safety along the way, then we hit the button for the "most direct route." Yet, I'm finding that God rarely takes us on the most direct route to where we think we need to be. He often takes us through downtown. He wants us to experience the red lights. It's here where we rely on Him more. It's here where we learn His character, because we've chosen His path.
Just like in my trip from Arlington, Virginia to College Park, Maryland, the scenic route and red lights may not be fun. The last few weeks I've been on vacation. But "back home" I've had several friends going through some very difficult things. One lost her husband in a tragic accident while I was gone. Another is struggling with an ongoing battle with cancer. I have several friends dealing with major financial issues. There were times on my trip that I felt very guilty for having fun and care-free days, knowing others were hurting so deeply.
Another friend asked me, "Why, Beth? I don't understand why God lets these things happen!" All I could tell her is that God is still God in the good times and bad. We often don't understand why, we just have to trust His plan is best. Jeremiah 29:11 says He knows the plans He has for us. Although we may be surprised by the turns of life, God is not.
So the next time God takes me on the scenic route, I'm going to try to keep my perspective. I'm going to keep my doors locked, to guard against the evil one, but my windows will be down to look around at the red lights. If the light turns red without notice and life's brakes get slammed, my seat belt will be securely fastened in the Lord. Yes, it may be painful. I may not ever understand why. But, I do know Who programmed that GPS called life, and I am going to trust Him that His plan is the best for me.
Road trip! Lock your doors. Buckle up. Enjoy the view, but most importantly, follow the path.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com