Letting God Take the Driver’s Seat

In Matthew 16:24 I read, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.” (The Message)

The key to stress reduction in my life is to let go and let God. I do this by making Jesus the manager of my life.

The problem is, I usually want to be the manager of my own life, and so I argue and disagree with God. I think I know what’s best. The reason I’m under a lot of stress is that I’m constantly fighting God in my mind, “I know God says to do this, but I want to do that instead!”

Every morning when I wake up, I have a decision to make: Who’s going to be in charge of my life? Who’s going to be in control, me or God? Who’s going to call the shots, me or God? Every day, moment-by-moment, I’m making this decision. When I choose to make myself the manager of my own life, it causes conflict, confusion, and stress.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am” (The Message). Here’s what I tend to do: When I became a believer in Christ, I gave him the driver’s seat. But then I promptly hop into the backseat and become a backseat driver. I’m constantly giving him advice like, “No, turn this way. Stop. Wait. Faster! I want to go that way. I want to see that sight.”

My life doesn’t look very pretty when I’m trying to help God lead. Instead, let God be God and make Jesus the manager of my life.

In summary, If I’m going to follow Jesus, I need to let him lead. The key to stress reduction is to let go and to let God. I do this by making Jesus the manager of my life. The problem is, I usually want to be the manager, and so I argue and disagree with God. I think I know what’s best. The reason why I experience a lot of stress is that I’m constantly fighting God in my mind. Each day when I wake up, I have a decision to make: Who’s going to be in charge of my life. Who’s going to be in control and who’s going to call the shots, will it be me or God? When I choose to make myself the manager of my own life, it causes conflict, confusion, and stress. I may think I gave him the driver’s seat, but in reality I promptly hop into the backseat and become a backseat driver. Life doesn’t look very pretty when I’m trying to help God lead. Instead, I need to let God be God and make Jesus the manager of my life.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, and doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.