Sunday, April 21, 2024

Where Am I? God, Help Me! #Devotional by Becky Van Vleet

 


“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17 (NKJV)

My husband and I recently jetted across the country from where we live in Colorado to Indiana where I grew up and lived for a few years after we married. I was excited to visit family and friends. We stayed in a La Quinta and rented a car to be all set for our daily excursions. We took turns driving with a total reliance on our GPS to get us where we needed to be. After all, interstates had changed with new exits, added lanes, and the city had grown exponentially since we’d moved away.

On our third day, I was eager to meet my sister for tea. I stepped into my car with confidence and excitement. GPS, do your thing, I thought to myself when I plugged in the address. I pulled up to the restaurant right on time. A piece of cake. After a delightful tea and hugs and goodbyes, I sat behind the steering wheel once again, plugging in my GPS to return to our motel.

But this time was different. First, it was raining pretty hard. Second, the GPS did not automatically reverse the directions. This wondrous tool gave me new directions to return, but with the rain, I didn’t even realize I was on different roads. I simply trusted the GPS and kept driving and driving and driving. No La Quinta in sight. In fact, I ended up on curvy single lane roads surrounded by farm lands. My stomach tightened when I noticed the GPS eating up the charge on my phone, down to 20%. I had no charger with me. (Yeah, not smart.)

Heart racing, I called my husband. “Hey, I don’t know where I am. My phone is about to die. You might need to get an Uber and come get me to navigate us back to the motel, but I can’t even tell you where I am!” Talk about panicky embarrassment.

We hung up with my promise to try Google Maps instead. But this alternative tool did not help me either. I finally took a deep breath and prayed aloud, “Where am I? God, help me!”

I eventually got back to our motel with a dead phone and a palpitating heart. I raced to our room and sat down on the bed, composing myself. Oh my! What should have been a 30-minute drive back took nearly two hours.

When I settled down, I realized the GPS and Google Maps failed me. They are “human tools”, designed by mankind with margins of errors. It was my prayer to God that really got me back on the right roads. He directed me. No margin of errors with God. He knew every road and exit throughout Indianapolis because He designed it—He’s omniscient.

God never fails us. He will direct our steps and guide us on the right roads in life. He speaks to us through the Bible, the perfect GPS, and whenever we’re unsure of something, all we have to do is ask for His help. He knows when we’re lost. He woos us back to Him. I figure if He made the heavens and earth, He can certainly help me when I’m driving on unfamiliar roads—nothing is too hard for Him!

Are you trusting God for His unfailing help and guidance?


Becky Van Vleet is a retired teacher and principal and award-winning multi-genre author. She has been published in Guideposts, The Country Register, and Christian Devotions Ministry. Her children’s picture books are the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Editing award as well as the Purple Dragonfly award in 2020 and 2021. She and her husband make their home close to Colorado Springs where she enjoys gardening, hiking, oil painting, power walking, and spending time with her family, especially reading books to her grandchildren.

Becky is the author of Unintended Hero, a true story about her father’s battles, experiences, and adventures in WWII aboard the USS Denver. She is passionate about sharing the values from the Greatest Generation and enjoys speaking to high school classes about patriotism.

A member of ACFW and Allauthor, Becky has devoted her website to creating and preserving family memories and sharing family stories for the next generations through her monthly blogs. 

You can find her at: https://beckyvanvleet.com. She would love to hear from you, especially if you have a family story to share!

 

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