Surrender: Who is at the Wheel?

If you’re used to being a car’s primary driver, it may become difficult when you find yourself in the passenger seat. In what is often called ‘back-seat driving, ‘ your unmerited reactions or comments to another driver may indicate you don’t fully trust them in front of the steering wheel. You’re unable to relax and let someone else be in control; you feel you must keep an eye on the road at all times as if you were the one driving the car.

Exodus 14:14, NIV: The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

The reactions of that unsettled passenger are often how we react towards God. We may say our lives are in His hands and want to surrender it to Him, but our actions indicate otherwise; we cannot keep still. God is more than able to take complete control at the wheel. Yet, we worry and feel we must always be on alert, even complaining or doubting why certain things are the way they are along the journey.

Using this analogy, let’s reflect on how our attitudes throughout life and our trust towards the Driver in control can indicate how truly surrendered we are to God.

Scripture is clear that we will have tribulation in this life. Scripture is equally clear that God knows this and will help us through it all. As God’s children, there is peace and comfort in knowing God will never leave us despite the inevitability of worries.

Matthew 6:34, NIV: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Rather than worrying about the future, we can trust God and lean on the promises of His presence in every trial. With His help, we tackle it daily, surrendering every thought to Him.

Are we inviting God into the driving seat or still trying to grasp some level of control?

Reflect on if this is indicative of any part of your life. While in the car, you can’t sit back and be at peace during the ride. You’re always on alert, worrying over every potential danger. Maybe even going to the extent of grabbing hold of the wheel in an attempt to take control, fearing that our driver was leading us towards disaster. In doing this, not only are you in the incorrect seat to drive properly, but you’re now resisting against the one in the driving seat. We must decide if we are truly surrendered to God during life’s crossroads, roadblocks or hazards.

Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

There’s always a temptation to take actions based on our feelings or perspectives of our circumstances. Without God, however, we do this with impaired vision, limited only by what we can see through the narrow window of our understanding. In contrast, God sees the whole picture and our faith in Him to lead us through any circumstance must be unwavering. As conveyed in James on seeking God for wisdom:

James 1:6-8, NLT: But when you ask him, be sure your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Compared to that back-seat driver, surrendering is difficult as it’s in our nature to want to take control. That’s why we need God’s help to die to our flesh and submit to the will of His Spirit. It may start by asking for help to surrender our innermost thoughts and hearts to Him.

Psalm 19:14, NKJV:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

We don’t know what will happen along the ride or what situations and circumstances we will face. However, in God’s omniscience, we can be assured that He is in it all and can abide in His refuge and protection.

Psalm 9:10, NKJV: And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Proverbs 18:10, NKJV: The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Regardless of what lies in the road ahead, do you trust in the name of the Lord and in His promises never to leave you?

There’s so much we may want to have control over, but God is sovereign, and there’s no one better to hand the steering wheel over to. God knows the ins and outs of the vehicle; He created you, the road and every other driver on the road. God is the best and most qualified driver in the universe, so it’s safe to say we can trust God at the wheel!

Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

With our natural tendency to worry, however, we need a constant reminder of who is in front of the wheel. As our Helper, the Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s presence and redirects us to His word. As illustrated throughout scripture and even reflecting on our lives, we can trust in His faithfulness during the twists and turns of life’s journey. Whatever God says will come to pass, and we can rest assured in the passenger seat knowing He is unchanging and all His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’.

2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV: For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Whether driving during a foggy night, on a treacherous road, in the middle of a snow storm or along a cliffside. Regardless of whatever external dangers lie out there, we can rely on God’s protection over us. Whether awake or asleep in the passenger seat, the Lord is alert and sustains us. As David puts it while amid danger:

Psalm 3:5-6, ESV: I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Our gratitude is another indicator of how fully surrendered we are towards God. There’s a vast difference between someone constantly worrying and making unwarranted comments towards the driver. Or someone else believing the driver can keep them safe, being joyful in the ride and thanking the driver. The one constantly giving thanks even before reaching the destination is fully surrendered.

Psalm 92:1-2, NKJV: It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night

Are you praising God all along the journey?

We can thank God even before reaching the destination, knowing He has already promised to get us there safely. Regardless of what happens along the journey, all that matters is Who we belong to. If we are in Christ, we know our final destination and inheritance is waiting for us in His kingdom.

Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Through our acceptance of Christ, we are marked as His and receive a guarantee of being in His possession forever. There will be battles in this life, but they can only be won by handing the steering wheel to God. So we also have a part to play, starting by surrendering our inability to fight on our power and trusting that God is always a God of victory and has guaranteed we will reach our final destination.

Summary

In total surrender, we gladly allow God to take complete control of the wheel and are at peace throughout the journey. With the constant leadings and promptings of the Holy Spirit, we can, in prayer, surrender every worry, doubt, decision, and action. We can offer Him our words, thoughts, hearts, and lives.

Romans 12:1, NLT: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

May we not rely on our impaired vision and instead trust in God, who is in complete control of the universe, to be permanently seated at the steering wheel of our lives. May we remember His faithfulness and give Him thanks as He supports and protects us through the paths of life. Being comforted with the assurance of knowing there will always be fullness of joy at the final destination.

Psalm 16:11, NKJV: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.