God’s Positioning System (GPS)

 

Psalm 33:11 “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” (NIV)

Have you ever been lost without any idea of where you need to go to meet someone at a particular place and time? I remember one night many years ago when I was leading a tank company toward a rendezvous with a German Army ferry platoon to transport my tank company across the Rhine River. The only problem was that I was lost, and 17 tanks and a company of men with me. With God’s help, I finally figured out where we were, and when we crossed the Rhine on time, did I ever praise the Lord! This was long before the days of GPS (Global Positioning System) that can pinpoint one’s location to a few feet anywhere on this planet with a satellite overhead. It is a wonderful advantage for any of us to have access to a GPS in a new or strange place, because instantaneously we know where we are in relationship to where we want to go. If we know where we are in relation to where we want to go, then we can direct ourselves to a safe and successful journey, arriving at the right destination.

Psalm 33 is a tribute by David to his God, explaining why his people should trust their very lives to this powerful, loving God who overlooks us with unceasing vigilance and care. This psalm gives many reasons for why our trust in the Lord is valid, including: the truthfulness of the Lord, faithfulness of the Lord, love of the Lord, righteousness of the Lord, and the awesome sovereignty of the Lord over his creation and the kingdoms of men. But for me, the most important reason I must trust my Lord is because he is transparent in communicating his purposes and plans for me through his inspired understandable Word.

Our devotional text makes the key point that I paraphrase as the Holy GPS or God’s Positioning System or Bible which is unchanging in its direction and counsel for our lives over time and space. God’s word is perfect for each one of us since it is suitable for every issue, circumstance, and person in our lives. God’s intent and purposes are contained in the Holy Bible, and they do not change like the words of men that are shaped by society and politics and not the unchanging truths of God. In our devotional text, David points out that God’s plans don’t change, as they are spoken with a purpose to guide our lives from generation to generation. We must always remember that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). It is solely the word of God that can penetrate our minds, and discern the intent and purpose of our hearts, and help direct our way (Hebrews 4:12).

Jesus also makes it clear to us that his words will never pass away, and will be the standard in judgment on that last day. (Matthew 24:35) Given this awesome GPS of God that allows us to know where we are and where we must go at any given time, place, or circumstance to be victorious in this life and eternally secure in the next life; why would we trust in the vain strength of men or feeble philosophies of the world? The answer is that we only need God’s purposes and God’s plans for us through the written word, our Holy Bible.

TODAY I CHOOSE TO BE GUIDED BY GOD’S POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS), WHICH IS THE HOLY BIBLE, WHICH PERFECTLY REVEALS TO ME THE PURPOSES AND PLANS OF GOD FOR MY LIFE. I WILL TRUST IN GOD AND NOT MEN!

Article source: Mike White @ Summit church of Christ