From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth – he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
Psalm 33:13-15 NIV
I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord… The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 12:1-8 NIV
My husband and I went to visit friends whom we had not seen in about two years. We had thought of them and prayed for them, but just couldn’t find the time to visit. During the previous two weeks, the husband had had major surgery, and God had opened an unexpected window of time for us. We had to go to them, for it was what the Lord was guiding us to do.
Not having visited their home for several years, and not having ever traveled to their home from our current location, we turned to our Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS directions are explicit and accurate as they are satellite-guided – directions from above.
Well, as you might expect, we still took a wrong turn. We immediately heard the “recalculating” message from our familiar GPS voice. But we decided against turning around – insisting on our own way – and continued in the alternate direction. We ended up on a narrow, steep hill adjacent to a massive lake. My stomach flipped and my knees trembled. Nevertheless, I prayed and prayed and prayed as my husband drove on through the pitch-black night on the unfamiliar road. Finally, after 11 treacherous miles, we descended the hill onto familiar terrain and soon arrived at our friends’ home for a welcome reunion.
We enjoyed delightful fellowship, and our friends repeated multiple times how they were blessed by our visit. We were doubly blessed. First, we had the blessing of spending time with our good friends. Then we were blessed by being reminded that even when we take a wrong turn in life our heavenly Father still watches from above. We rejoiced in knowing that His oversight and sense of direction are greater than that of any GPS and that He guides us safely through the pitfalls of our choice. Perhaps the greatest lesson is that He can and will still use us in ministry and service to others even if we have taken a wrong turn in life. Turn all over to Him, and He will be faithful to bring you through.
Breathe Copyright © 2013 General Conference Women’s Ministries Department