Who is the Driver of Your Life? Giving God Control - Inspiration Photography and Christian Devotions
Giving God Control of our lives, “Jesus Take the Wheel” meaning and the peace of God with verses.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Have you thought about how much you are trusting a person to get into the front seat of their car? Probably not often, unless it’s a new teenage driver. In fact, we often jump into taxis and Ubers with complete strangers at the wheel. Just think for a moment, you are trusting a stranger with your life. You hope they use turn signals, have decent navigation skills and aren’t prone to road rage. But you really don’t know for sure. Yet we place trust in them anyway, right?
Now, what if your life was a “car.” Would you trust anyone to drive it? Would you give someone complete control to make decisions or drive you in the direction you need to go? If there is anyone you would trust, I am sure it is a very short list, and wisely so!
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
We aren’t always the best driver for our own lives. Giving God Control
Here’s some truth to consider, are you doing any better driving your life than a complete stranger might? If you are like me, my car definitely has some dings. I’ve even worn out the tires and engine light might be on! While “driving” my own life I have made extremely poor decisions that have led to a few fender benders. And the truth is that I have gotten myself lost, taken wrong turns, probably driven down in some areas I really didn’t belong. I’ve learned a lot from all the ‘driving’ mistakes I have made over the years, but many lessons could have been avoided if I just chose the right driver in the first place.
The truth is there is only one driver who is guaranteed to get us through life safely. This driver, is the most experienced, has our complete safety in mind, and is a perfect navigator. He is never lost, never careless, always watchful, and cares more about your life than you do. At this point I would cue the song, “Jesus take the wheel,” right?
But it’s true, all of it. I’ve spoken with people who said God led them wrong or left them on the side of the road. After talking we discover that it wasn’t God at all! They were grabbing at the wheel trying to take control when “bad” things started happening. We are never led wrong when we hand Christ the keys to the car and just get in. Why? Because we are His precious cargo. It only takes our trust in Him to let go of the wheel and find peace about the journey.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Back seat driving is not giving God Control of our lives.
My wife may sit in the front seat, but she is a backseat driver. She questions every turn I make, every time I don’t pass cars, and even the time I take at a stop sign. Half the time I want to jerk the wheel off and hand it to her! It’s frustrating to constantly be questioned. I’ve been driving for 25 years now, I think I got the basics down.
But as Christians, we want to give God our life to lead, but are we letting go completely? Are we acting a bit like a backseat driver? What if I asked you, do you think God will lead your life better than you could? How would you answer? Somehow, we know the answer, but we question him anyway. We read the Bible and try to focus on one part but abandon other commandments for their “unimportance.” If we gave God the wheel and He is driving, why are we questioning His every turn? Why can we not just put our full trust in His driving skills?
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
He is the Navigator, the meaning of Jesus Take the Wheel!
God doesn’t get lost; we do that on our own. We take the wheel of our lives and steer ourselves in some dangerous directions. Sometimes we get lucky and find our way out, but not without wasting a lot of time and energy. But God knows the route perfectly, He is the one that created it! He knows every turn you should take and already saw the destination before He even started the car.
Then why do we grab that wheel and try to turn the car ourselves? It’s between a lack of trust and an unwillingness to travel God’s route. Sometimes the road God wants us to travel doesn’t take us by all the landmarks we want to see. God travels with the destination in mind because this isn’t a sightseeing tour. Our life is far too important for that. Money, fame, drugs, alcohol, etc.; these are all paths that lead us away from where we are supposed to be. God isn’t going to lead you to those, but He can always deliver you from them.
Never drive aimlessly again
I remember as a teenager I would just get in my Jeep and drive. Back then I had no destination in mind. I would just drive aimlessly to clear my head, listen to music, and make sense of the world. I accomplished a lot for myself on those little trips, but I never reached a destination. God doesn’t work that way. He knows that we are in this life to accomplish a purpose, not to drive in circles.
The truth is, I was driving in search of God’s peace. The problem was I didn’t know the way. There are some destinations only God can deliver us to and it requires our trust in Him to get there. We can try to find new avenues that lead to temporary moments of joy. But nothing is more calming or fulfilling than riding with the peace of God.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.”
Journey with Peace
I have taken too many wrong turns driving myself, but I finally found the peace of God for my life. Now, God is at the wheel and we have the windows rolled down on a sunny day, wind in my hair, and gospel bluegrass on the stereo. The road of life might have bumps and turns, maybe even a few storms up ahead. But with God at the wheel, I know I am on the road I am supposed to be on and am going to get to the destination safely. God is driving me straight to an eternity with Him.
Written by Jon and Kathleen Frederick with Seven11
