Finding Jeremiah with my GPS

My wife and I were driving to Fairfield today, and the GPS system must have been set on “shortest distance” vs. our usual “fastest route” because we made more turns on more tiny side streets that I even knew existed. A ten minute ride on the highway (the long way) took us nearly a half-hour by taking the “short cut” programmed into the navigation system.

And it made me wonder… is God’s way the shortest distance or the fastest route? I’ve been spending a lot of time in Jeremiah this month, and I keep coming back to Jeremiah’s prayer (10:23-24).

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own;

it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, LORD, but only with justice—

not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing

It always brings to mind one of my favorite verses from Psalms (25: 4-5)

Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

So many times when I’ve felt lost in life, it has been comforting to know that the path is already there… I don’t need to build the road… I don’t even need to find the road… I just have to allow myself to be directed towards it… and then make the choice whether or not to walk it. The road is already there. And it’s already been walked by Christ.

And you know what? Once you know that, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s the quickest route or the shortest route – because it’s the only route that gets you to where you need to go.