We have a small group of believers ranging in age from nine to 50-something that meet in our home each week for prayer, fellowship, a meal, and Bible study. The Bible study portion of our time together is very interactive. We read Scripture, we ask questions, we make observations; we wrestle and chew on the concepts that present themselves from God’s word. We rarely have any 3-point lesson plans to guide us. As you might imagine, that leads to some fun and interesting conversations, but it also leads to some really amazing “A-HA!” moments for our little community of faith.
Recently, we were discussing the concept of sin as “missing the mark.” The focus was on how we seem to be constantly getting off-target and on how God works to get us back on target. One of the teens in the group piped up and said, “So, it’s like a divine GPS! And God is constantly having to repeat the same patient phrase: ‘Rerouting…’”
Dr. Lee Roy Martin notes that the popular idea of God’s Word being a road map is not without merit, but it is “too impersonal.” It doesn’t take into account the fact that God has a purpose and plan for each of us. God interacts with us through His word, His Spirit, prayer, and more. A GPS (while still not perfect) is a much better analogy, I think, because it recognizes both the reality of a destination and the interaction along the way. Our challenge is in learning to recognize and trust His voice as He divinely directs our paths each day . . . hopefully without too much rerouting being necessary.
- Has God ever spoken to you . . . not necessarily in an audible voice, but in a way that you were sure that it was Him?
- Why do you suppose it seems so difficult at times to recognize God’s voice when He speaks?
- Do you think God ever gets tired of having to constantly “reroute” us in order to keep us on track?
For deeper study, consider reading the story of Hannah and Samuel in 1 Samuel and consider how God’s providential guidance was at work in their lives.
