Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional
Back Azimuth.
By Ian Vandervalk
May 27th, 2026
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40
One of the basic skills I was taught in the Army was land navigation. We were taught the basic principles of map reading and the meaning of topographic map symbols. Then we were given several points to plot on our maps, determined our course of direction, and off we went.
Early in my military career, we trained on a military base in Georgia. It was the middle of summer, and I suppose because of the heat, lack of food and water, and very little sleep the night before, I drifted slightly off course. I didn’t periodically check my compass to make sure I was heading in the right direction, either.
That’s all it took. I didn’t follow what I was taught, and when I arrived at what should have been my marker, it was nowhere in sight. I was lost. Now what? I thought. What am I supposed to do?
Fortunately, we were taught how to correct this mistake by heading back to our previous point, using what’s called a back azimuth—a projection of the azimuth from the origin to the opposite side of the azimuth circle. Simply put, I had to make a 180º turn. For example, if I was heading at 45º degrees, I would need to turn around and head in the 225º direction. Well, I made it to my previous point and started over. This time, however, I learned from my mistake and completed the course.
Sometimes our walk with God turns out this way, too. We start on the correct path, heading in the right direction. But somewhere along the way, we allow outside factors to knock us a bit off track. We lose our connection with Jesus, and before we know it, we’re lost! Just like that hot summer day, it starts with the heat from our obligations, whether it’s our job, our family, running errands, keeping the house in order, or paying bills on time. We get consumed by everything we need to get done, and we forget to get our daily spiritual food and water. We stop spending time in His Word, and our prayer life suffers. Then, we forget to rest in Him.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35. He also said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He wants us to cast our burdens, our stresses, and our daily worries on Him. But after all these mistakes and forgetting what Christ has taught us, we become lost; and when we realize it, it almost seems like it’s too late.
As Peter walked on water, heading towards Jesus, he became distracted by the things of the world. His focus was no longer on the Savior but rather on the storm. Then, as he began to sink, he said three words that changed everything: “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him. In the same way, as soon as we realize that we’ve become lost, we can remember to examine our ways, head back to our previous point, and grab hold of Jesus’ outstretched hand to start heading in the right direction.
Back Azimuth.
By Ian Vandervalk
May 27th, 2026
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40
One of the basic skills I was taught in the Army was land navigation. We were taught the basic principles of map reading and the meaning of topographic map symbols. Then we were given several points to plot on our maps, determined our course of direction, and off we went.
Early in my military career, we trained on a military base in Georgia. It was the middle of summer, and I suppose because of the heat, lack of food and water, and very little sleep the night before, I drifted slightly off course. I didn’t periodically check my compass to make sure I was heading in the right direction, either.
That’s all it took. I didn’t follow what I was taught, and when I arrived at what should have been my marker, it was nowhere in sight. I was lost. Now what? I thought. What am I supposed to do?
Fortunately, we were taught how to correct this mistake by heading back to our previous point, using what’s called a back azimuth—a projection of the azimuth from the origin to the opposite side of the azimuth circle. Simply put, I had to make a 180º turn. For example, if I was heading at 45º degrees, I would need to turn around and head in the 225º direction. Well, I made it to my previous point and started over. This time, however, I learned from my mistake and completed the course.
Sometimes our walk with God turns out this way, too. We start on the correct path, heading in the right direction. But somewhere along the way, we allow outside factors to knock us a bit off track. We lose our connection with Jesus, and before we know it, we’re lost! Just like that hot summer day, it starts with the heat from our obligations, whether it’s our job, our family, running errands, keeping the house in order, or paying bills on time. We get consumed by everything we need to get done, and we forget to get our daily spiritual food and water. We stop spending time in His Word, and our prayer life suffers. Then, we forget to rest in Him.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35. He also said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He wants us to cast our burdens, our stresses, and our daily worries on Him. But after all these mistakes and forgetting what Christ has taught us, we become lost; and when we realize it, it almost seems like it’s too late.
As Peter walked on water, heading towards Jesus, he became distracted by the things of the world. His focus was no longer on the Savior but rather on the storm. Then, as he began to sink, he said three words that changed everything: “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him. In the same way, as soon as we realize that we’ve become lost, we can remember to examine our ways, head back to our previous point, and grab hold of Jesus’ outstretched hand to start heading in the right direction.
Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional
Back Azimuth.
By Ian Vandervalk
May 27th, 2026
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:40
One of the basic skills I was taught in the Army was land navigation. We were taught the basic principles of map reading and the meaning of topographic map symbols. Then we were given several points to plot on our maps, determined our course of direction, and off we went.
Early in my military career, we trained on a military base in Georgia. It was the middle of summer, and I suppose because of the heat, lack of food and water, and very little sleep the night before, I drifted slightly off course. I didn’t periodically check my compass to make sure I was heading in the right direction, either.
That’s all it took. I didn’t follow what I was taught, and when I arrived at what should have been my marker, it was nowhere in sight. I was lost. Now what? I thought. What am I supposed to do?
Fortunately, we were taught how to correct this mistake by heading back to our previous point, using what’s called a back azimuth—a projection of the azimuth from the origin to the opposite side of the azimuth circle. Simply put, I had to make a 180º turn. For example, if I was heading at 45º degrees, I would need to turn around and head in the 225º direction. Well, I made it to my previous point and started over. This time, however, I learned from my mistake and completed the course.
Sometimes our walk with God turns out this way, too. We start on the correct path, heading in the right direction. But somewhere along the way, we allow outside factors to knock us a bit off track. We lose our connection with Jesus, and before we know it, we’re lost! Just like that hot summer day, it starts with the heat from our obligations, whether it’s our job, our family, running errands, keeping the house in order, or paying bills on time. We get consumed by everything we need to get done, and we forget to get our daily spiritual food and water. We stop spending time in His Word, and our prayer life suffers. Then, we forget to rest in Him.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35. He also said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He wants us to cast our burdens, our stresses, and our daily worries on Him. But after all these mistakes and forgetting what Christ has taught us, we become lost; and when we realize it, it almost seems like it’s too late.
As Peter walked on water, heading towards Jesus, he became distracted by the things of the world. His focus was no longer on the Savior but rather on the storm. Then, as he began to sink, he said three words that changed everything: “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him. In the same way, as soon as we realize that we’ve become lost, we can remember to examine our ways, head back to our previous point, and grab hold of Jesus’ outstretched hand to start heading in the right direction.
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