When Life Needs Navigation
In my late teens, my friends and I decided to visit a friend who had moved. She lived in Massachusetts. This was long before GPS systems came on the scene. The only way to get from point A to point B back then was to have a map and clear directions. After all, how hard could finding our way be? After driving for about 2 hours, things didn’t look right, and we started seeing signs for routes and highways we knew were not near where she lived. To make a long story short, we were going in the wrong direction. We finally arrived at her house, but it seemed to take forever.
Has that happened to you? Driving along, you realize you‘re going the wrong direction?
With the invention of GPS systems, getting lost doesn’t happen often. Instead of looking at a map, we now have a British man’s voice telling us when to turn along with arrows pointing to the road. Wonderful, isn’t it?
We may not be getting lost driving on our roads, but sometimes we get lost in life. We try to figure out what truth is, or the right thing to do. Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, who was a young pastor. He didn’t want him to get lost or lose direction leading the church. He teaches Timothy that Scripture is useful in finding answers. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) says this:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
The first thing we see is that Scripture is breathed out by God, or as the New Living Translation says, God-inspired. Through the Holy Spirit, God used men to communicate His word through their unique and individual personalities. Then, it says it is profitable, meaning it’s beneficial or useful. Useful for what? I like how the New Living Translation describes it. …is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God’s word is useful for figuring life out.
On that day, we visited my friend; we did not take a map with us. We wouldn’t have gotten lost if we took one along. The same can be applied to God’s word. Life can get confusing, and we can become lost. Like a map, the Bible guides and shows us which way to go.
Let me ask you a question. What do you turn to for help? A lot of options exist out there. Friends, self-help books, Dr. Phil. Have you considered turning to the Bible to answer your questions? You might be surprised at what you find.
Lastly, the Bible gives us hope and encouragement. Romans 15:4(NLT) says, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently
for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
God’s word is useful and dependable. My prayer for you is to start reading it and start using it. I know God will give you direction if you look to His word.