We got a call this evening from our daughter. “Mom, I need you to do something for me. We have been at the Washington Zoo all day and we can’t find our van. We came out of the zoo at a different place then we went in and we are turned around. Can you go on Google Earth and tell us where we are at?”
Well… uhmmm…. how do I do that?????
“We are at the intersection (on foot) of Connecticut Ave. and Calvert St. and need to know how to get to Columbia. Our van is parked in front of a CVS Pharmacy and our cell phone battery is running low so I can’t stay on the phone too long!”
Oh, the wonders of modern technology! Gene and I each made a mad scramble on our computers, bringing up Google Maps, googling Washington Zoo, zooming in close to the streets surrounding it, searching for Connecticut….found it…oh, and Calvert, I can’t find it. How do you spell “Calvert”? Oh there it is. But where, oh where, is Columbia? Google search again for CVS Pharmacy+Washington Zoo. And there it was! Relayed the information…keep walking east on Calvert until you come to Columbia and then turn north. They safely and with ease found their van!
Only Obe, Jill’s husband, who is an Instructional Technology Resource Instructor could have thought of such a crafty way to solve their problem!!! I am amazed he didn’t have an iPad or smart phone stuck in his back pocket!
I could visualize them on the crowded sidewalks of Washington with two little children and dear friends, John and Brenda, and their two younguns trying to figure out where to go. They needed a larger, bird’s eye view of their plight.
Sometimes in life we can’t see beyond the next step. We feel lost, confused, and don’t know which way to go. We know there is an answer but we need a broader perspective. We know our destination. We know where we are parked but it is finding our way there.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. When we dial up heaven our broadband connection rate is to die for. God knows the big picture. He sees the whole perspective and He knew it even before we called. He zooms in on us and if we can trust Him he will direct our path. He will show us the way. We do not need to be wandering aimlessly on planet earth.
Some other verses about God’s loving care for us….
- Psalms 67:1-2 “God be merciful to us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine on us that His way may be known on earth”.
- Psalms 56:3 “When I am afraid I will trust in you”.
- Psalms 119: 105 “Your Word is a light to my path and a lamp to my feet”.
- Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path”.
- Proverbs 5: 21 “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his goings”.
- Isaiah 46-4 “…who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! ” (God knows every detail about us. He created us and will be with us from conception to death. Our way is known by the God of the universe. and we are enrolled in his life insurance plan).
- God gives us the assurance of his divine presence and care in Isaiah 41:10. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”.
Maybe we need Google earth to help us navigate the maze of streets to help us find our destination or parked van. But only God can navigate us through our journey on earth and help us reach our home in heaven.