#421: Have You Ever Felt Hopelessly Lost Following God?

Have you ever felt hopelessly lost following God? I know I have.

I feel like I am headed in the direction God wants me to go, but suddenly I feel lost, wandering aimlessly through life. Frustrated, I feel like I’ve lost my sense of direction.

That’s when I want God to tell me clearly where He wants me to end up and how I should get there. Just tell me, so I know!

But God doesn’t work that way. God works more like Samantha, my car’s built-in GPS.

Samantha’s GPS Directions

Whenever I need to go somewhere in an unfamiliar area, I key the address into my car’s GPS. Samantha calculates my route and cheerfully tells me to start. As soon as I start moving, she gives me one direction, like “turn right at the next intersection.”

I don’t get the next direction until I have turned right at the next intersection. Only then will Samantha give me the next direction. She gives me one direction at a time. If I make a wrong turn, Samantha recalculates my path and gives me new directions, one at a time, to get me back on course. She patiently guides me turn-by-turn until I hear the magic words, “You have arrived at your final destination. Your route guidance is now complete.”

Samantha never gives me more than one direction at a time. That’s a good thing because I would probably forget what she said. “Was that left at the next intersection, or right?” “Wait, how far am I supposed to go before I exit the freeway?”

I don’t mind that Samantha only gives me one direction at a time because I trust her. I know if I follow her turn-by-turn directions, I will end up where I need to be.

God’s GPS Directions

I’ve found, like Samantha, God gives directions in my life one turn at a time. I must start, and I must take the first turn in the right direction before God gives me the next direction.

Unfortunately, I mess up following God’s directions in three ways.

I Anticipate Where God is Sending Me

I often try to anticipate where God wants me to go. Then, thinking I know where God wants me to go, I plot my path to my presumed destination. The danger of assuming I know where God wants me to go is that I may be charging ahead full speed to the wrong destination!

I Am on The Wrong Path

Even if I am headed to the right destination, I may not be on the right path. There may be several ways to arrive at my destination, but God always selects the best route. I may think I know the perfect shortcut to my final destination, but I can’t see the bad traffic and the closed roads that lie ahead. God’s path is always the best, even if it seems longer.

I Don’t Trust God

It is hard to admit but trying to anticipate where God is sending me and picking my own route indicates I don’t trust God enough to follow Him one turn at a time. If I trusted God, I would trust He has the right destination for me. If I trusted God, I would take His route to my destination.

The Greatest Example of Following God

The greatest example of following God is the story of the people of Israel and their journey to the Promised Land. God promised Moses that He would lead the people to the Promised Land; they didn’t know where it was when they started or how to get there. As such, they had to trust God would lead them there safely.

God appeared to the people as a cloud in the daytime and a pillar of fire at night. When God told them to move, they moved. When God told them to stop, they stopped. They followed Him day-by-day until they reached the Promised Land.

The people of Israel didn’t rush ahead, presuming they knew where to go. They didn’t veer away from God, thinking they knew a better route. They trusted God to lead them day-by-day, turn-by-turn to the Promised Land.

If You Feel Lost

If you feel lost: I can assure you, you have either headed off in the wrong direction away from where God wants you to be, or you have chosen the wrong path. Regardless, you need to trust God’s destination for your life and His path.

God is probably not going to appear to you as a cloud or a pillar of fire to direct your path like He did the Israelites. But He doesn’t need to. He has given you something even better; the Holy Spirit who lives within you. The Holy Spirit is our helper, comforter, counselor, and guide who has promised to be our personal GPS directing us in the exact path to the destination God has for us.

Trust in Him one day at a time, one turn at a time!

More Articles

I have written many articles on our dependence on God. You can find them by typing “Dependence on God” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.

• #415: Do You Want to Live A Life of Impact and Purpose?
• #385: Is the Path You Are on the Right One?
• #365: Do You Lead Like an Owner or A Steward?
• #345: Disobedience to God Always Leads to Lost Opportunities
• #299: 3 Take-Aways From the Life of a Harlot
• #277: A Compass Can Only Point You in the Right Direction…

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have you ever felt lost following God because you chose the wrong destination, the wrong path, or didn’t trust Him enough? How did you get yourself back on track?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God