Have you ever been lost? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably found yourself lost at some point in your life?
Whether it was while driving in a car in an unfamiliar neighborhood, or while walking around a big city while on vacation, it can be nerve wrecking when you suddenly realize that you don’t know where you are, or even worse, where you are going.
Ironically, I remember a recent time when we were in Jerusalem looking for a gentleman from our travel group who was lost. A handful of us decided to split up and go in different directions to look for this man.
Now, the streets are narrow and go in many directions with store fronts in every nook and cranny. After a few minutes of twisting and turning through the winding paths I quickly got scared thinking that I was lost.
That was until I saw a little store/booth that I had visited earlier that day. It quickly reminded me of the path I took from that store to where we were suppose to gather. I made my way directly back to the gathering place from there.
The Psalmist described such a time in his life in the 73rd chapter of the book of Psalms.
“When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.” (Psalm 73:21-22).
Occasionally, we allow our emotions to get us off the track of following the path God has laid out for us.
Perhaps we found ourselves depressed and feeling hopeless in life and we wandered off the path.
Straying from God’s plan can cause us to make ignorant and unwise decisions which cause us to feel “lost.”
However, the truth is that while we “feel” lost, we have a God who is actually still there if we can pause and remind ourselves that He is in control.
“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:23-26).
Isn’t this a wonderful promise and a source of peace not only when we find ourselves spiritually lost in life, but in our every day walk with God?
Just as when I felt lost in Jerusalem, to quickly remember the “path of familiarity” and jump quickly back on it, we too should remind ourselves of God’s good and perfect path for us and always return to it as quickly as we can.
The only compass you need, the only GPS you need, the only map you need is Jesus!