Misdirection

Jeremiah 33 offers us the confidence that God is directing our lives, He enables us to navigate the situations we encounter and gives us wisdom through His Word.  In Jeremiah 33, we can read these
verses:
2 "Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name):
3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

This echoes the words of James, who tells us that when we lack wisdom, we can ask of God.  The Bible continues to be our source of wisdom and direction.  He is all-knowing, and we are bound by human understanding; we have to admit that we don't have all the answers, and humble ourselves under His hand, so that He might show Himself faithful.  His ways, according to Isaiah, are higher than our own, and He calls us to follow in the steps that He ordains; we can rely on Him.

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We have a reliable source of direction for our lives because God has given us His Word, which is
activated by or powered by His Spirit. Psalm 32 says:
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Since I was a child, I have had an affinity for maps.  When our family would travel together, I would become the self-appointed navigator, and I am glad my mom and dad trusted my ability to get us to the right place.

Nowadays, it seems like the traditional map has gone by the wayside and has been replaced by the plethora of GPS devices or navigation apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze.  Our app of choice is Google Maps, which, more often than not is a reliable navigation device.  But, sometimes, there can be, um, issues.  I think of the time Beth and I were in the North Georgia Mountains attempting to find a particular waterfall.  Instead of taking us to the parking lot for the trailhead, the system took us to what it had identified as the "falls" themselves, which left us in the middle of a road, a bit of a distance from where we needed to be.  A similar incident in north Alabama left us in the middle of nowhere, sort of speak.

Recently, some 100 drivers headed to Denver International Airport were being re-routed around a traffic jam.  According to the website, TheDrive.com:

Almost 100 drivers were caught off guard when Google mistakenly detoured them around a traffic jam and onto an unpaved and muddy road, leaving them stuck and stranded.

Usually travel delays are caused by traffic en route, vehicle problems, or even inept hired car services. But improper detours onto muddy roads aren’t usually the cause. According to several reports, drivers were relying on Google Maps to get them around a gridlock situation on the way to DIA near Peña Boulevard. But that detour ended up being worse than the traffic jam.

Driver Connie Monsees said, “I thought ‘maybe there’s a detour’ and pulled it up on Google Maps, and it gave me a detour that was half the time...It was 43 minutes initially, and it was going to be 23 instead — so I took the exit and drove where they told me to. It eventually took me to a road that became dirt. I was not the only one, there was probably a hundred cars out there."

The article relates:

Many of the cars stuck were two-wheel drive and sank into Colorado’s clay soil-based mud. Others supposedly high-topped or got stuck trying to traverse deep ditches and ruts. Had it not rained recently, the road surface is known to otherwise be hardpacked dirt, others noted.

As the article pointed out: "Google said the road wasn’t marked as private and thus, it’s [sic] AI system factored it in as a potential detour for drivers." The story says:

Although Google touts its Maps app tries its best to help relieve congestion by providing drivers with new routes according to traffic situations, they ultimately encourage drivers to use their own discretion because Maps isn’t always perfect.

I still find Google Maps reliable, but there is growing concern that if you're attempting to get to a local business, you might find some fake information.  According to the Wall Street Journal..."Google’s ubiquitous internet platform shapes what’s real and what isn’t for more than two billion monthly users. Yet Google Maps...is overrun with millions of false business addresses and fake names, according to advertisers, search experts and current and former Google employees."

The article continues:

Google still can’t seem to stop the proliferation of fictional business listings and aggressive con artists on its search engine. The scams are profitable for nearly everyone involved, Google included. Consumers and legitimate businesses end up the losers.

The game goes like this: "The false listings benefit businesses seeking more customer calls by sprinkling made-up branches in various corners of a city. In other cases...calls to listed phone numbers connect to unscrupulous competitors, a misdirection forbidden by Google rules but sporadically policed by the company."  So consumer beware: do your due diligence to verify that the business whose services you are seeking is legit - multiple search engines, another directory website, such as YP.com, and if you have it, the good old phone book!!

There are certainly spiritual applications here.  First of all, when we are in need of navigation for our lives - and we are - we can turn to the correct road map, not driven by algorithms but by Almighty God.   We have the navigational tools of God's Word and the Holy Spirit to keep us going in the right direction.

We can also be careful to seek out trusted information.  Faith Radio, as we spotlighted in our most recent Ministry Magazine, is devoted to being a trusted source for truth consistent with the Scriptures. We feature a lineup of solid, proven Bible teachers who have excellent reputations.  You have to make sure that the people to whom you submit yourselves are consistent with teachings of the Scriptures.  I also think that associations and accountability structure are increasingly important components to determine the legitimacy and credibility of a ministry.

Finally, we recognize the fallibility of human direction, as well as that of artificial intelligence. Technology is great to have until it's not.  Google Maps can be a great tool - until it's not.  We rely on so much that can fail, yet we can know that, in the matters of our life, God's Word will never fail.