What do you do when you don’t know which way to go? Can you really trust GPS? I can tell you from experience, GPS works!

I was caught in my car trying to get home and had no idea how I was going to get there. I had traveled alone to a Pennsylvania destination three hours from home for a baby shower. It was a stormy summer Saturday, but the room was full of happy chatter and no one paid much attention to the weather, even when multiple cellphones vibrated with a weather alert at the same time. I, with at least a dozen other ladies, read that there was a flood warning and put my phone away, directing my attention back to the celebration. After helping to clean up, I decided it was time to get on the road,

The Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike is not one of my favorite roads. I had tried to avoid it on multiple occasions, but had come to the conclusion that it was still the best route home, so I began the trek and looked forward to when I would be off that stretch of road. My exit from that route came much sooner than expected!

The heavy rain had cause a landslide closing a section of the highway and diverting all traffic off of 476, the NorthEast Extension. Every vehicle was forced off at exit 44. Dozens of cars were deposited on Rt. 663 and, like me, probably began to depend on GPS to get them to their destination. The problem was that GPS didn’t take into account roads that were closed because of flooding. As a result, I found myself in a long line of cars that were inching along back roads lined with cornfields and homes with no clear end in sight.

I wasn’t worried about having enough gasoline....yet. But I desperately needed to make a pit stop. My only visible opportunity was a small Mennonite church now off to my left after a mass turnaround because of a flooded road. I had noticed the church when it was on my right. There were people standing in the parking lot looking amazed and concerned as they stared at the traffic moving slowly by and I could see the building was open. This might be my only chance for miles. I hadn’t seen a gas station or convenience store in a long time! I pulled in, parked and stopped my GPS. I didn’t want to just walk into the building, so I neared a group of people who were talking. A kind older woman, I am guessing she was the pastor’s wife, saw the question on my face and came over. They had been staring at the long line of cars crawling by their property. Obviously, this was an unusual situation. I asked if I could use the restroom and she took care of me, asking another lady to show me the way. My guide explained that they had been in the middle of their church service during the storm when the power went out. The creek behind the building was currently a rushing river. Power was back on, but they were all wondering how they were going to get home. I was grateful for the conversation and to share the experience with someone. I had been alone in my car for 2 hours. One hour of which had been creeping along the road, first on the highway and then in the country.

Back in the car I called Tom and said, “I need you to pray.” I explained the situation and could hear the concern in his voice. I had no idea how to get where I needed to go and was stuck in the middle of dozens of people in the same situation. He prayed for safety and wisdom and told me to stay in touch. Then it was time to venture out again.

I decided not to enter into insanity, doing the same thing I had done before, and, what it appeared many others were still doing. I decided the best thing to do was to go in the direction opposite of the crawling cars and try to find a way out of this web of traffic that so many were caught in. I turned on the GPS, still programmed to home, and hoped for a way out. I had to ignore many suggestions made by the technological voice because as I neared the location I could see that traffic was not moving. I made my way through a downpour back to the place where we had been directed off the highway and decided to head in the direction that the GPS had first sent me. The first turn suggested was the one that would send me back into the web of vehicles inching through cornfields so I ignored it. I drove several miles more ignoring suggested roads that looked too remote or too close to the web and then finally turned. For the next half hour to 45 minutes I relied solely on GPS to take me through unfamiliar backwoods territory. The sun began shining, reflecting off the soaked pavement. I was grateful that when I met a closed road the GPS could instantly reroute me, but I wondered where I would finally end up. These roads were just as rural as those I had been trapped on earlier, but I was thankfully continuing to move. I had to decide to trust that the GPS would get me back to civilization and, ultimately, home. There were few cars in the vicinity, but I suspect that some of them traveling on those roads with me were in a similar situation, trusting GPS to get them home.

At one point I crossed a small bridge that traveled over what I thought must have been 476, where this escapade began. I hoped that GPS was taking me to the on-ramp but that didn’t seem to be the case. However, the sight of moving traffic on a highway gave me hope that I was nearing the end of this long, questioning ride. I trustingly followed GPS for a while longer, expecting that I would soon be on a less ambiguous route.

Finally, I could see that I was out of the woods, literally. In my view was Interstate 78 and GPS was taking me to the on-ramp. Not the road I would have taken on my original route, but I had traveled it at other times and I knew that I was finally out of the web and truly headed home. Relief flooded over me. I drove a few miles and pulled off an exit in Bethlehem, PA and filled my gas tank. I had never been in danger of running out of gas, but from the moment I was first re-routed I don’t remember seeing more than one gas station. It was a welcome sight just to have the choice! I really needed that stop to absorb the relief and to let Tom know that I was finally on my way. I had been on the road for three hours. With no rerouting I would have been home or almost home. At this point, I was still almost two hours away, but, barring unforeseen circumstances, the rest of my journey should be uneventful. I was so grateful!

Dear friend, I don’t know what you are going through right now. You may feel like you’ve been diverted from what you thought was the best direction for your life. Unforeseen circumstances may be making your route unclear. There may be times when you feel trapped in a tangle of trials and like you will never make it home safely. Take heart. The voice of your Father is the guide that will help you navigate the web of difficulty. Getting out of the storm may seem like the highest goal, the greatest relief. But there is a greater goal, a higher hope to focus on, and that is where you will find the stronger motivation to keep going.

Remember, dear friend, this life is not all there is. Jesus has gone ahead of us into heaven and has opened the door for us to come to Him and be with Him forever, free from all the pain that we struggle with now. That hope is truly our anchor and the “GPS” we can trust, giving us stability and leading us Home. Are you struggling to find God in the middle of your journey right now? He is there and He is the voice that will lead you Home.

Key thought: Heaven is our highest hope.

A Scripture to consider: “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES challenge: As you consider your current storm, what is it that you are hoping for? Ask God to help you to keep an eternal perspective in the midst of this trial. How can you set your hope higher?

Prayer: Father, You know where I am now and You know where I am going. Even though I feel lost at the moment I will hold onto the hope that You will lead me Home.  Being with You forever is my hightest hope. Amen.