God Is My GPS (Global Positioning System) In Life
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Numbers 9, 10 and Psalm 101 (NIV)
(Yeo Su Chen, Chairperson, Communications Ministry)
READ:
Numbers 9:15-23 spoke to me in my reading of this BRD.
OBSERVE:
In this passage, three things stood out strongly for me:
- God’s means of grace and direction to the Israelites is through His unique GPS, in this case, His divine clouds of guidance.
- Precise and perspicuous instructions are given by God to the Israelites.
- Sovereignty of the Lord.
In this Numbers passage, I read about God sending the pillars of cloud and fire to provide direction and protection for His people on a spiritual and physical odyssey to the Promised Land. God is their only GPS.
APPLY:
I am reflecting on this passage in Taiwan, where my husband and I are on a sightseeing and hiking trip with my small group members. To make our trip easier, we have hired a local English speaking guide to take us to the various scenic spots and hiking trails. Our experienced guide hiked with us on the mountain trails. When he did not hike with us, he would give us clear directions on how to get to the trails and exit them to get to our meeting points.
Having a guide on our trip assures us, keeps us safe, and helps us to enjoy the hikes, which can sometimes be strenuous and stressful for novice hikers like us. We just have to focus on listening to our guide, remembering and following the specific instructions given by him.
God is the guide and GPS for the Israelites through the cloud that is placed above them. The clouds determine the people’s movement: they set out when the cloud rises and encamp when it settles.
God’s way of helping them to navigate to their Promised Land is crystal clear and explicit. There is no ambiguity in His instructions and directions. The Israelites, and even Moses himself, do not know or understand the divine logic behind the cloud and fire, but they simply obey and submit to the sovereignty of the Lord. They trust in the leadership of God through His cloud and fire amid their uncertainties, difficulties and troubles in the wilderness. Most of all, they submit to His direction because they submit to His sovereignty.
I like this quote by Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest Devotional Journal: “Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt – don’t.”
Today, I may not have a visual cloud above me to help me navigate the wilderness of life. But the cloud is in His Word, and the fire is the Holy Spirit God has planted within me. God is both my directional and moral compass in life. He is my only GPS in life.
DO:
I will read and apply God’s Word as they are the cloud that directs and instructs me as I navigate through the joys and trials of life.
I will be still, listening to God’s gentle promptings and nudging and strict admonishing through His Holy Spirit. They are the cloud of fire to me when navigating through uncertainty and darkness in my life.
I will submit to God’s will and trust that He will direct my every step in life.
PRAY:
Eternal Father, thank you for giving me the spiritual cloud of grace, direction and clarity to go through life so that I will know when to set out and when to encamp in life. I pray You will increase as You help me to decrease so that You can soften me to be more submissive to your will and sovereignty. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
