Re-calculating...

It's time to act, God; they've made a shambles of your revelation! 
   Yea-Saying God, I love what you command, I love it better than gold and gemstones; Yea-Saying God, I honor everything you tell me, 
      I despise every deceitful detour.

(Psalm 119:126-128 The Message)

Have you ever just felt like it was past time for God to intervene - - the wait has been so long, you have endured so much, and all you want is some kind of deliverance from the pressure you have been under?  I imagine we all face this kind of "frustration" with the wait - - wondering IF God even hears us when we pray, thinking he may have his attention focused on something or someone else.  The important thing in the wait is the object of our focus WITHIN the wait!  David makes it clear - - his object of focus is God himself - - his Word bolsters him and keeps him on track.

We are often caught between right choices and EASY choices.  Have you ever noticed just how much EASIER the easy choices are?  The "easy" choice just seems to come "naturally" to us - - falling into step with wherever that choice leads us without much effort at all.  On the other hand, standing up for what is right, not compromising the values God teaches in his Word, is not always the easiest path!  

Mom and I purchased a GPS unit for my son-in-law this Christmas.  He has borrowed mine on trips and found it helpful, so his request for his own made it to his Christmas list this year.  I spent some time on Christmas day uploading the latest maps, registering the device in his name, then sharing how to use the device, including the multi-lingual features (since Spanish is his first language).  I asked my daughter how he is getting along using the device and here's what she told me:  He likes it, but...he turns before the little arrow tells him to turn.

Now, isn't that like us?  We get that little warning voice to "turn in 500 feet" and then we see the visual reminders just like that little arrow in front of the virtual car on the GPS unit - - then without anymore thought, we turn!  When we do, we realize we turned too early, placing us smack-dab in the middle of some place we did not want to be!  Frustrating, huh?

What probably amazes me the most is how immensely patient God is with us when we do this!  He "re-routes" us much in the same manner the GPS re-routes my kids in the car.  He takes us back to the Word, reminds us what he says, and then sets us on course again.  If you are beginning this year with a little "guilt" over not ending the last well, don't fret.  God has already prepared the route for you to get back "on track" in the area of your struggle.

This is the great thing about God's Word - - it stands the test of time.  It has the staying power of generation after generation.  Put to the test, it continues to do the job it was intended to do - - guide and direct our course.  Like David, we may have despised "every deceitful detour" we've taken from the truth revealed in the Word.  Like David, we can come full-circle into the place of renewed faith, determined obedience, and refocused perspective.  The Word may bring conviction - - like when the GPS tells us it is "re-calculating" because we need to be re-routed!  Yet, it is in this "re-calculation" where we find our way back to where we find our greatest hope!

The "easy" path may have taken you somewhere you really don't want to be.  If so, allow God's Word to "re-calculate" your steps back to the path he designed just for you!