Psalm 25:4 says, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

My husband and I live in Atlanta, GA, and traffic is, well, challenging and dangerous. People are often on their phones, not paying attention, or just simply reckless. Yesterday, while my husband was driving us around for some errands, there was an accident at an intersection near our home, with one of the cars’ front hoods crushed. When I see things like this, I think of how glad I am that John is a good driver. He is always aware of other drivers around us and is prepared for when people get into our lane or suddenly stop.

I am not using this post to brag about my husband’s driving but to write about God and his character. There’s a popular song called Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood. The gist of the song is that a woman is driving on a snowy, icy road and loses control of her car. Fearing for her life and the life of her baby, she asks Jesus to take the wheel. When they were safe, she asked Jesus to take the wheel of her life, not just of her car.

As I was thinking about that song, God laid on my heart that, for me, the analogy of Jesus taking control of my life when I surrender to him looks different than the lyrics of the song. Due to non-epileptic seizures, I have not been able to drive for ten years now. This has, of course, come with its fair share of challenges.

Yesterday, as John and I got behind a semi-truck in our significantly smaller sedan, I couldn’t see past the truck in front of us, which always makes me nervous. So, I had to trust John and relax, knowing he was prepared for the dangers I couldn’t see. Through this, God reminded me of some truths about himself.

First, just like I can not drive physically and have to rely on others, I need to trust that I can depend on Jesus. Let’s be honest: there are times when I have been an inconvenience to family and friends and get frustrated when they pick me up too early or late. Yet, when I ask God to pick me up, ready to rely on him, he happily does and is always on time.

Secondly, over the past decade, I have had to trust my husband and other drivers with my safety and to protect me from things I can not see or anticipate. God not only keeps me safe, but he is my place of safety.

Finally, my faith has grown this past decade because I have experienced that Jesus can be trusted to guide my life. He is like a GPS without error, and he is never outdated. Yet, there is still a stubborn streak in me that wants control, and the problems and troubles I have encountered are because I try to take the wheel from him.

Although frustrating at times, I have loved that this time in my life has taught me so much about trusting others and, most importantly, trusting God. I can have faith in knowing that he is always ready and on time and knows what’s beyond what I can not see. I can relax because his presence comes with guidance through the Holy Spirit and the protection of Jesus in our lives.

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”