If You’re In the Drivers Seat, It’s Time to Pull Over

 

Several weeks ago, I sat down with the worship leader at my church and spilled my guts out. It wasn’t pretty. My words were a mess and I couldn’t seem to produce a bottom line thought to my ranting. Looking back, I still don’t know what it really was that I was trying to say, other than I was feeling like a raw mess and I couldn’t figure out what God was trying to do with me.
I’ve led worship teams for churches and I have taught seminars on worship and the passion for worshipping God has never waned – even through the years of skirting the edges of church and trying to walk my own path. But here I was ready and willing to be used by God – so why did God have me at a church that didn’t seem to need me? I’m ready for all this great stuff He’s promised and here they have a worship leader, they have a pianist, they already have everything they need! I was feeling like useless fluff at that moment.

It wasn’t until the next day that I realized that pride had reared its ugly head. Big time. I knew my calling, but what I wasn’t prepared for was backtracking and making the journey right this time. I wasn’t prepared to be led. I was full of discontent. I wanted the promised land now. I felt like the whole lot of Israelites when they wandered in the desert – whiners and complainers. It affected the way I approached everything.

As you may have already figured out, up to this point, I’ve been doing most of the driving. Yes, God has spoken to me and has led me, but the times that I walked forward in faith and obedience were very few compared to the times that I was grabbing the keys and jumping in the driver’s seat myself. And I’m not a great driver – in real life either. I yap on the phone, I dig around in my purse, I get impatient with other drivers and I get lost easily. Nevertheless, I still like to drive. I still like to be in control. I always said that I trusted God, but did I really? Nope. At least not until now. I’ve officially pulled the car over to the side of the road and am getting out. I’m letting God do the driving. I almost feel sorry for Him because I’m an awful passenger. But I do know that God’s route to the destination He has for me is thorough and true. And I am learning to be content and to sit back and enjoy the company of His presence while I simply remain obedient and go where He tells me to go.

The driver’s seat is a tempting place to be. We fill our lives with activities and work and family – all good things – but we don’t always do them the right way. And if you are currently driving your own life it’s time to pull over. It’s time to stop the madness. This world we live in is full of destruction and sin and if we aren’t trusting God, we can get into some serious accidents.

Contentment in God’s planning isn’t easy to come by and I’m a work in progress, so please pray for me. This will probably be the most valuable lesson that I will ever learn. My focus has changed from the job He has called me to do to becoming the new creation that He desires me to be. I’m looking forward to this journey of faith and rest.