Jesus Take the Wheel.

I can’t quite figure out why some weeks are just plain good.  Everything seems to be in sync.  Things are flowing.  Momentum is doing its thing. Kids are happy, marriage is rocking, church is thriving, and friendships are deep.  It is smooth sailing.  I sure love that kind of week, don’t you?  It is rare, but it does happen.

And then…  there are the other kinds of weeks.  You know the ones I’m talking about.  In my life, when it rains it POURS.  I’m hit on every side. The dishwasher quits, the car breaks down, the kitchen faucet cracks and floods the kitchen, buckling the wood floors.  But enough about me. We might hit waves of stress at work, or with a relationship; we might face some tough family, leadership or friend stuff.  I’m talking about the days, weeks or seasons, when it feels like we can’t catch a break.  We can’t seem to control all that is spinning out of control.

Speaking of control, I sure like to be in control.  I like to plan, and know what to expect.  I like to work hard, and see the fruit of that work.  I like to think that if I try hard enough, work long enough hours and give enough, all will be okay.  But the truth is, control is actually a weight around my neck.  As long as I think I’m the one in control, the pressure is all on me.  And then when things begin to spin out of my control, I come apart at the seams, at the place where all of the different parts of my life connect. My heart and soul.  My mind, will and emotions.  Those are my seams.

The heart is like the driver’s seat of our emotions, the center of who we are.  Where our desires spring up, our expectations and motivations are revealed, and in reality, that is where the rubber meets the road.  Pressure reveals what’s in that heart. When it is smooth sailing, we might not see the insecurity, selfishness, fear or control issues that are under the surface.  Believe it or not we NEED pressure to grow.  We need resistance to get strong.  Sometimes we need to stop shouting at the Devil, and instead look to Jesus for the answers.  Look to him for the strength, the wisdom and the provision.  And then wait for Him to reveal Himself through our situation.

There is a phrase that I have often said, and yet, am learning to actually live.  “Jesus, you are all I need.”  I have said and sung these words to Jesus for years, and yet I still fight to make them real to me. There are days when my heart waivers and I wonder if it’s true.  Can Jesus really be all that I need to get through this?  I’m broken.  I’m hurting.  I’m in need.  Can Jesus be all that I need?  Or is that just some “Christianeeze” that sounds good to the ears.

What about those moments I need a tangible hug, or the finances to meet my bills, or healing in my heart or body?  Listen to this verse:

Psalms 28:7 “The eternal is the source of my strength and the shield that guards me.  When I learn to rest and truly trust Him, He sends His help.”

I love the part about HIM sending His help!  Sometimes I forget the “when” …. When I learn to rest and to truly trust.  In the middle of our crazy, we forget that He knows exactly what we need. I’m learning that what I think I need is not always what I actually need.  I think I need money, he’s teaching me contentment and stewardship.  I think I need breakthrough, he’s teaching me trust.  I think I need to defend myself, he is teaching me that HE is my defender.

More often than I care to admit, I belt out Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus take the wheel”.  It’s freeing to let Jesus take it from our hands.  Though we intend to let him in the driver’s seat, we often times strive to keep our hands on the wheel. But now is the time.  We can’t live under the weight of control any longer.  It sucks the joy and life out.  Anxiety and worry dominate our hearts when we are in control.

These words have been such an encouragement to my heart over this past year.  Every time I have one of “those” weeks, I cling to these verses.  I can’t seem to avoid trouble, but I can change my response to it.

Psalm 46:1-3, 10

God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to hide!  You’re a proven help in time of trouble – more than enough and always available whenever I need you.  So, we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away!  We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea!  For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you.

Surrender your anxiety!  Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God.  I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted through the whole earth.

Today, I want to share this song with you. God dropped into my heart during one of “those” weeks a few years ago. It was early in our church plant years, during a season when I felt like I was sinking. I was drowning in life’s pressures. Overwhelmed by it all.  As I sang these words over and over that day, Jesus brought me to a place that I will never forget. As I put Him back in the driver’s seat, a deep peace filled my soul.  Freedom replaced anxiety as I remembered that I wasn’t alone.  I didn’t need to defend myself any longer.  Jesus would sustain me through the storm.  Through the rain.  I could rest in Him.  He was my rock.

I pray it blesses you today.  Whatever crazy you are experiencing, I pray that you would lean into Him and trust Him.  Today, I pray that your heart would remain steadfast in Him.  He truly is

… ALL that you need.