Guidance From Above

Our youngest grandson, Elliot, playing on the JV tennis team for his high school.

Since moving to the big city, Al has been doing most of the driving. He enjoys it and does well maneuvering through urban traffic. With a population of about 4 million people in Metro Detroit and its surrounding counties, rarely are there just a few cars ahead of us on the road. Ongoing construction projects, accidents, rush hour traffic… all contribute to log jams and long delays.

The GPS app on our cell phone gives good alerts to problems on the road in advance, often rerouting us to avoid road closures. We rely on the Global Positioning System for directions to unfamiliar places as well. Most of the time it has been very dependable, so much better than trying to follow directions on a paper map! Remember those days?

With Al in charge of driving, my job is to give directions when on the road. I am a grateful user of the GPS, but only have a vague idea of how it works and who owns and operates it. Helped by reading a few articles online, I was surprised to discover that there was a fifth branch of the United States Military, the U.S. Space Force, officially established in 2020.

 “Mission Delta 31,” is the division of the Space Force that owns and operates the GPS. Simply put, the system consists of three main parts: a group of satellites orbiting the earth, stations on the ground and various types of receivers. It is used worldwide.

During the fall tennis season for our two grandsons who played on their high school’s Varsity and JV Tennis teams, we relied on the cell phone app for directions to schools in unfamiliar communities. It was also helpful in guiding us through many detours due to construction on freeways, especially during closures, and in our arriving for the boys’ matches at the right place and on time.

While on our way to one out of town match, the thought occurred to me that probably every car on the freeway had some sort of navigating system. How many people were using the GPS at the same time, all having different starting points and destinations? I wondered. It was a mind-boggling idea.

 I knew that many of them going in our direction were using a similar app because they were taking the same detour after being diverted off the freeway. There was no need to rely on signs with arrows; we were all being guided expertly around the construction zones. What a relief to arrive safely without the worry of being late or of getting lost!

A few days ago, three of us ladies from church planned to meet in a nearby ice-cream shop to visit and enjoy a sweet treat. I offered to pick up Karen, who lived in a community less than five miles from our home. It was a straight shot south on a well-travelled avenue that passed by the Detroit Zoo.        Travelling alone this time, I decided to use the GPS for guidance through one spot near the zoo where the busy avenue divided. It told me exactly what lane to be in when the road split, in order to avoid turning off to the zoo or taking the entrance to the freeway. I reached her residence without any problem, but have to admit that the canned female voice giving directions was rather comforting!  

It even helped on the return trip, despite my already knowing the way fairly well. As I turned into our driveway, the automated voice said unexpectedly, “Welcome Home!” I had to laugh. At the same time though, it was a good reminder to thank the Lord for safe travelling and for His constant care and protection.

How awesome God is to hear prayer requests from around the world simultaneously and spoken in different languages, and to give the necessary guidance to each person who asks! When we reach our final destination and stand before Him in Heaven, what joy will be ours to hear the words, “Welcome Home!”

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you…” 

Thomas said to him, ‘Lord we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14: 2, 5-6 NIV

Two seasons in Michigan--Construction and Winter! At least the sky is pretty! :)