GPS

 A few years ago, I wrote about how amazed I was with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology and how just by inputting a destination you would receive instant directions including every turn and street name you would encounter on your journey. As I reflect on my former amazement, the level by which this technology has progressed goes beyond what my mind can figure out. I use the app Waze for my travels and although there are numerous features that are mind boggling, I suppose the one that makes me scratch my head the most is the ability of Waze to share with me my time of arrival down to the minute as long as I follow the directions provided by this GPS system. Basically, that means Waze knows the route I'm going to take, and this app somehow knows how long each red light is or even if I'm going to get caught by a red light. Waze somehow calculates the slow driver in front of me and the public transportation vehicle that makes three stops before the road opens up and allows me to continue my drive. I receive alerts almost immediately regarding potential hazards ahead and warnings that a certain radar gun may be up ahead. How all of this works is beyond my comprehension. Technology continues to evolve with the advent of artificial intelligence and other "smart" technologies. With all that being said and with all the advances in technology, there is still no comparison to the wonder of our God. If Global Positioning Systems (GPS) amaze me when it comes to directions, then finding the words to best describe God's Plan to Salvation (GPS) is beyond what our minds can conceive. 

When I think of God and His omnipotence it doesn't take me long to reach that point of asking "How does God do it?" How can God know every thought I have, every step I am going to take, and every plan I will  concoct in my brain? In the Gospel of Luke 12:7, Jesus tells us that even the hairs on our heads are numbered. If that is true for every person on this earth, for those who came before me and for all those that will come after me then the world's GPS systems begin to fail to compare. God is all knowing, all seeing, and all powerful. With that in mind, what do we have to fear? What worries do we have that God doesn't already know about even before they become a concern? God's Plan to Salvation (GPS) tells us that He has a plan for each of us to live out and His plans are always going to work out for good. Our good? Possibly not in the same way we might measure "good", but nonetheless good for God's honor and glory. "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

Without hope and faith trusting in God's GPS can be a challenge. When things are going good and the road ahead is straight and smooth we find it easy to say we trust in God's plan for our lives. But, when the road is filled with potholes, when we are sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire, or even when we find ourselves lost with no clear path ahead, God's Plan for Salvation stands firm and His love for us will carry us forward as we endure life's struggles and heartaches. Is it easy to trust in God's plan when it feels like the world is crashing all around you? The more you place your faith in God and His plan the answer to that question is a resounding "Yes". 

Going back to our Global Positioning System technology, we input our destination and then we take off on our journey following each directional instruction along the way. For all we know, Waze could be taking us down the path of a cornfield in the middle of nowhere, but we trust that this modern technology, that we can't exactly explain how it works, is leading us to our desired destiny. At times in the past has Waze let me down? Yes of course, and there have been times when this world has let me down. The one constant I have in my life is the comfort and confidence I experience, because I know who is in charge and who ultimately sets our hearts GPS towards eternal life.

God's Plan to Salvation is fail proof. We may not be able to see every turn, every hazard ahead, or every trap that we may fall victim to, but God is in control. His plans are not our plans, "My plans aren't your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans." Isaiah 55:8-9, and without trust and faith we will fall into a mindset of asking God "Why?" or doubting God's omnipotent power. As for me, if it is so easy for me to trust an app on my phone with directing my journeys, each and every turn and road along the way, then I am sure of this one thing. I will walk with God and I will trust His ways and His will, and I will stand firm in my faith that God's plans for my salvation will never fail! 

Coach Carter