I assume that most of society has heard the song "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. I grew up hearing this song at school dances, in the car and in random stores when it was a big hit. Now as I grow closer to God and I see (or think I see) His plan for my life as I look a little more carefully at the lyrics as well as God's position in my "car" on my road of life.
Listening to the song once more, one can see that there are three separate places that God could be in the situation that you are facing; it doesn't matter if it is difficult, easy, or just a daily choice in your life that needs to be made. God is always there and present if you only let Him. I struggle with putting Him just even inside the car or allowing Him to take part in my life. It is hard to think of Him when we always think about ourselves first. These three positions are optional. We don't have to invite God into our car, but once we do, He could be anywhere from a backseater to a diver.
The first place that He could be is in the back seat. This is the place that we usually put God because He needs to be buckled up and just watch from the sidelines, -- either this, or He isn't even in our car at all and we don't even invite Him into our "car". We are so used to thinking that God is in the back seat and is just watching. When things are going wrong in our lives, we think He just sits back and watches us suffer, but what really happens is He offers the front seat to friends and family so that they can be there for us and we can learn and listen from their experiences with God. He isn't out of the conversation completely, but He gives us a chance to drive, learn and experience his presence just inside the car.
The second place God could be seen in our life is the passenger seat, or co-pilot position. God might not be in the driver's seat yet, but He is still there helping you along and giving you direction. He isn't pushy or demanding; His voice is always quiet, calm and comforting so that we know that we are in the hands of someone we love. When things look tough and treacherous, God helps us get to where we are going in His time and the time He chooses because He has the map and shows us (sometimes) turn by turn which way to go. Most of the time we are trusting that God knows best and we aren't leaning on Him completely.
Finally, if we let him, God can occasionally take over the driver's seat in our lives. When we fully trust in Him and pray for His guidance, He takes over and can accomplish anything. We don't need to worry about the night-time driving or snowy roads; He takes care of that and keeps us all safe. When we let go and let God drive in our lives we see a change in scenery and we see how our lives are changed from a beat-up old car from the 90's to a brand new car from 2016.
It says in the Bible that we are a new creation when we invite God into our car and let Him help pilot or even drive. We should all let Him come in and take over because once we do, we will change inside and out.
