Following directions!

It's almost midnight, as I start typing, and we are in the town of Loches. some 4 hours drive north of the static.  We are here - my wife and I - to be involved in the first of a planned series of English-speaking worship services to be held over the summer months.  My wife will be leading the praise, and I will be bringing the message.  I suppose that if I am first, it can only get better!!

Anyway, never having been here before, we entrusted ourselves to the guidance of our sat-nav.  All was well until, just south  of Châtellerault, there was some confusion (not unknown with our Garmin!) about the number of exits from a roundabout.  We took the wrong one!

This mistake resulted in us having to go all the way through Châtellerault, instead of skirting around it - adding both miles and minutes on to our journey.  Eventually, of course, we were brought back to where we should have been.

I was reminded of the way in which, so often, I make mistakes on the journey of life.  My heavenly Father has a route all mapped out.  It's the perfect route for my particular journey.   If I follow His instructions, I will never go wrong, and will arrive safely at my ultimate destination.

However, because I do make mistakes; because I do go my own way; because I am sometimes willfully disobedient; I end up going the wrong way - making my journey that much more difficult.  Thankfully, just like the sat-nav, my heavenly Father continues to direct me, and eventually gets me back on path.

Are you finding life difficult at the moment?  Then one of two things may be happening.  You may have gone off on your own, abandoning God's plan for your life.  Or it may be that you are actually in His plan, but that the road at this juncture, happens to be difficult.  In either case, re-affirm your trust in Him, and be assured that He will either bring you back to His perfect purpose, or see you through the most difficult stretches of the road.

He is sovereign, and His will is perfect.  Being in the centre of it is the safest place in the world to be.