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Is God in the driver’s seat?

I want to start this article by asking “Is God in the driver’s seat of your life?” Sadly to say for most people, He is little more than a “Copilot” on our highway of life.

Merriam-Webster defines copilot as “a qualified pilot who assists or relieves the pilot but is not in command.”

Psalm 46:10 says, “Cease striving and know that I am God‚” I don’t know about you, but I have never had any success trying to boss someone around while attempting to trust them simultaneously. Trying to be in control and relinquishing control at the same time just doesn’t work; they can’t co-exist inside the same heart. When we let God drive our lives and trust that He knows best, we are able to rest and stop striving, which means that we will ultimately experience peace.

In the original Hebrew language the phrase “cease striving‚” indicates giving up by letting our hands down. Interesting, huh? This means that you can’t hold the steering wheel and let God drive at the same time if you want to experience the peace that comes from trust. Nope, you’ve got to let your hands down. Let go of the wheel, friend.

When you trust and decide that you will let God drive, there is a natural rest that will occur.

When we try and take the wheel away from God because we don’t trust Him, it will lead to emotional and spiritual fatigue. Why? Because we’re doing something that we weren’t created for. God made us to lean on Him in dependence—to let Him drive—which leads to contentment. Additionally, we will have the confidence that we are exactly where we need to be, doing what we need to do, and fulfilling the role He created us for. This will usher in deep contentment.

Have you noticed that it’s difficult to effectively communicate with someone that you don’t trust? When you are trying to take the wheel from God, it’s a sure thing that you won’t be talking to Him the way you would if you were letting Him drive.

When you’re trying to steal the wheel from God, your communication with Him will be hindered. Words of gratitude will be replaced by complaining, and praise will be ruined by criticism. You will find that you won’t be able to communicate with God easily because you’ll be thinking that He should be driving you better or somewhere else.

In his book, Reflections for Ragamuffins, Brennan Manning writes, “You will trust God only as much as you love Him.” You will also only love God as much as you trust Him. As you drive along your journey in life, you’ll find that confidence in God’s love is always coupled with trust. As I said, this means letting Him drive. When love and trust are combined, they are like a match to faith. They will set your confidence on fire so that you can ride anywhere that God is taking you without fear. 

Are you convinced that allowing God to drive is best? If so, I challenge you to let God take the wheel. Granted, this can be hard, especially when life is tough and you’re not sure where the road may lead. However, moment by moment, if you choose to trust Him, if you let go, you’ll find peace, rest, contentment, communication, and love filling you up. You’ll also stay out of the emotional and spiritual ditch in your relationship with God—could there be anything better?