05/11/2024
Encouraging Word
Spiritual Traffic Lights
Every driver knows that traffic lights along the highways at intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations are there to control traffic in a safe manner. There would be crashes if people had no rules for going, stopping, and slowing down.
There is a universal color code that all drivers must follow in order for everyone to be safe on the road. Every driver knows those colors are red, yellow, and green.
Like traffic signals along the highways, God has traffic lights along our journeys to keep us safe. God gives us instructions on when to stop, slow down, and go in order to be in harmony with Him and with others.
God has provided us with His traffic lights in His written Word. The Holy Bible clearly shows us red traffic lights along the way for us to stop, yellow traffic lights to slow down, and green traffic lights for us to keep going in a safe manner.
Order of the Traffic Lights
Even though drivers see the traffic lights whenever they drive, many of them don't remember the order in which the lights appear.
If the light fixture is vertical, the red light is always at the top, the yellow light is in the middle, and the green light is at the bottom.
If the light pole is horizontal, the red light is on the left, the yellow light is in the middle, and the green light is on the far right. The colors mean the same. Horizontal traffic signals are not as common as the vertical ones.
God's Red Light
The red light at the top of the traffic pole means stop and remain stopped until the light turns green. It is a law that drivers facing a red light should stop so traffic from another direction can go.
The Bible tells us to “Look to God’s instructions and teachings" (Isaiah 8:20). That way we will be about to go when God says, "Go" and stop when He says, "Stop."
God's Yellow Light
The yellow or amber light is a warning for drivers to slow down because the light will soon turn red. However, many drivers speed up so they can go through the intersection before the light changes to red.
There are yellow lights in the Bible that alert people to move with caution in certain situations. There might be some questionable situations that people encounter when they don't know which way to turn. According to Isaiah 30:21, God will guide you. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
God's Green Light
The green traffic light is the one drivers like the best because they can keep going without slowing down or coming to a complete stop.
The word "go" is found in the Bible more than "stop" and "slow down." "Go" is found in 228 verses, 45 chapters, and 32 of the 66 books. That two-letter word appears 1,542 times in the Bible. God wants His people to "go" and do certain things in the Kingdom of God.
In Genesis, the first book in the Bible, we see that God told Abram to go away from his country and his people, and God would tell him where to go as he went (Genesis 12:1). Abram was obedient and went. Because of his obedience God made him the "Father of Many Nations" with land, descendants, and riches.
Many times when God tells people to go, He also tells them to do something. He doesn't tell them to go for no reason.
• Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).
• God told Hosea, “Go and marry yourself a prostitute” (Hosea 1:2).
• Elisha sent a messenger to say to Naaman, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed" (2 Kings 5:10).
• God told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go” (Exodus 9:1).
Stop, Slow Down, and Go
Just as you abide by the traffic lights when driving, you should also abide by God's traffic lights. Stop when the light is red. Slow down when the light is yellow. Feel free to go when the light is green. Then you will get to your destination safe and sound.
By Margaret Minnicks (7/28/20).
