Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Who's Driving?
Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, The Lord alone. And you must love The Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4&5 NLT
Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! Love God, your God, with your whole heart; love Him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!
Deuteronomy 6:4&5 MSG
Have you ever been a passenger in a vehicle with someone who is a really bad driver? If your riding in a taxi, you just hang on for dear life and pray you make it to your destination alive. But if it's a friend or family member, you might offer to take over for them, and cringe when they say "I'm an excellent driver! What's your problem?"
As I started digging into the verse of the week from my latest Proverbs 31 online bible study, "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" by Lysa Terkeurst, a fellow study girlfriend used the analogy of God in the driver seat of our lives. I thought it was a fantastic and here's why.
In the verses in Deuteronomy that I have quoted above, Moses is calling for a commitment to The Lord from the children of Israel and telling them how to do this. He's telling them that nothing else can have their heart, give passion to their soul and fuel their strength. Later on in Deuteronomy, he details to them what will happen if the follow The Lord and what will happen if they don't.
I often get frustrated when reading passages like this in the Old Testament because I know that the nation of Israel strays from following The Lord. They allow the gods of other nations to take the place of the one true God in their lives. Even after they experienced miracles, signs and the fulfillment of prophecy.
But yet as I get frustrated with God's people, He reminds me that I have not always let Him be in the driver's seat of my own life. I have allowed other gods a turn at the wheel. And by gods I mean selfishness, materialism, jealousy and so many more that I could list. I've let other things and people become my heart, passion and drive. I've worked off my own strength and not depended on Him.
So this is my question to myself, and you.
What do I need to get rid of in order for God to be the only driver in my life? And what's keeping me from doing that?
If I'm honest with myself, I'm afraid of what will happen. I'm afraid of what others will think. Will they make fun of me? Will I being thought of as being prideful? Arrogant? I'm afraid of where God will take me. But if Jesus did what God asked Him to do, and His obedience saved me, then I need to put God back in the drivers seat of my life.
Who is in your drivers seat?
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Oh snap... this is good... & makes me think whose in the autopilot in my drivers seat.
ReplyDeleteErin, thank you for sharing. I really appreciated your deeper look into Moses and the nation of Israel as well. A good reminder that like Israel, we fail all the time. But when we surrender, letting go of our fears, and putting God in the drivers seat (great analogy!), we will experience great things!
ReplyDeleteErin,I love the idea how you went with the idea of God being the driver and us as the passengers. How often have I struggle with what will others think, will they accept me for me and can I trust God as the driver with my "whatever". A lot of food for thought and surrendering the controls over to God is a daily thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on this journey with me and for your encouragement. I love reading "Coffee time with Erin"!
Marilyn
I loved the analogy. Some of my scariest taxi rides where when I was in China and I remember being so scared because of their driving. Thanks for putting this picture in my mind that I need to let God in the driver seat! I also struggle with what others think. My mom never loved me unconditionally. She always said she would only love me if I got all A's or if I did this activity. It made me struggle for acceptance from anyone. This is why I was a people pleaser for many years. Then I was invited to church by a friend. I remember thinking that someone will love me unconditionally and I was sold. I haven't looked back. God will love us no matter what but try stepping out in faith and saying yes to one thing he is asking you to do. It will change you forever. Kara OBS Team Leader
ReplyDeleteControl is such a huge issue for me. I definitely need to scoot over and let God do the driving! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete"What do I need to get rid of in order for God to be the only driver in my life? And what's keeping me from doing that?"
ReplyDeleteLast week in my church Bible Study we looked at Luke 12: 13-21, specifically verse 21: "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God." I think this is where many of us fall short, I know I spend a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how we can get out of our house and into a bigger one with more land instead of being content with the home I have. My minister asked us, "Do we possess our possessions, or do they possess us?" When we focus on earthly things, I think that prohibits us from allowing God to be the driver in our lives.
Yes I remember being convicted when reading about the Israelites. I got so frustrated with them, and then God spoke something similar into my heart! Great post
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