Pay Attention to the Road Signs

“Set up road signs; put up

guideposts. Take note of
the highway, the road that
you take.”  

 Jeremiah 31:21a NIV

     When I was a child, my family and I made the long journey down old Highway 25E from Michigan to Tennessee. We started in Monroe, Michigan across Ohio through Kentucky and finally into Tennessee where we would reach the Cumberland Gap; the place Daniel Boone made his historic crossing through the mountains. The two-lane road wound through big cities, small towns, and countryside with barns, cows and tobacco. On every trip, I anticipated the stretch of road in Kentucky where I would see the familiar signs; Ben met Anna, made a hit, neglected beard - Ben Anna split; Burma Shave.

     Those signs were guideposts for me. I knew exactly how close I was to granny and grandpa’s house when I saw the barn that was painted with Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco and those Burma Shave signs. I looked forward to the familiarity of that stretch of road. I became excited and can remember asking the “Are we there yet” question at the same time and place during each trip.

     Our spiritual journey looks much the same as that long trip from Michigan to Tennessee. However, the end reward becomes even more exciting. Life contains a pattern of changes – roads cross paths with other roads and detours interrupt our travels.

     Have you had a similar experience? Have you, like me, noticed that things that used to move slowly now speed past like a bullet train?  Have you asked yourself, “How do I handle these changes?” Where is God in the struggles? Does He care when I am in a battle with depression, in the midst of financial instability, or battle marital problems? Does he know that my heart is pointed toward Him, but sometimes my feet just can’t seem to follow?

     The answer is yes. He is there. Yes He knows, and absolutely yes He cares. We see the answer to these questions throughout the entire Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation we can recognize God’s hand in history on a personal as well as a global level.

            God watches over His people—Genesis 6:8

            God guides His people—Genesis 12:1

            God protects His people—II Thessalonians 3:3

            God intervenes in History—Genesis 11:5-9

            God intervenes personally—Luke 1:26-27

            God cares—I Peter 5:7

            God loves—John 3:16-17

      I have found that when I pay attention to the road signs, I recognize God's hand at work in my life. Pay attention to the road signs He places along your path. He will place them. You are not the only person in history that God does not care about. You are not the one person that has been so bad that God will not forgive. You are neither too young nor too old for God to make a difference in your life. He loves you. He desires to guide you down the good path. Pay attention to the road signs!