By Marsha Leto
Does anyone else get a little nervous driving on interstate when there are tractor trailers to the left and right of you?
At times, I have felt like I could get sandwiched between the two. This was the scenario a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I was not driving, but I was still feeling quite a bit of anxiety. My husband could tell by looking at me that I was a bit uneasy. He reached over and patted my hand and said, “Sweetheart, trust the driver.”
At first, my mind raced. “Trust the driver?” I thought. That is easy for you to say. Do you know how fast we are going? Do you see all these tractor trailers? Why is that car zooming in and out of traffic? Why are there red lights ahead? All these scenarios popped into my mind. How could I possibly trust the driver! Then I stopped…and looked at my husband.
Slowly, the thought process started working. I needed to have a little talk with myself. I started thinking...He has kept me safe for all these years. He has driven thousands of miles without an accident. He does have his CDL. He has driven tractor trailers and buses for years. He is a safe driver. So, why am I worried? Yes, my husband is right, I just need to trust the driver! I smiled, took his hand, and said, “You are right. I do need to just trust the driver.”
Let us relate this story to the Christian life.
Who should be the driver of our lives? We all know the answer to that question - God. But so many times we hop from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat because we think we know best. Situations come up and instead of praying about those situations, we choose to worry. When I was riding with my husband, I thought the driver with the CDL and many years of experience did not see what I saw.
Not only did he see it, but he saw it miles before I did.
How foolish of me to think that he needed my expertise and driving suggestions. We can act the same way with God. He created us, He wants what is best for us, and He knows us better than anyone, but we still have trouble trusting Him. Trust means “to have confidence, a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, or other sound principle of another person.”
We can trust God.
We can have confidence in God. God already knows what is going to happen and what is happening in our lives. I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”
I must admit there are times I struggle with trusting God. I have done a few things that have helped me in this area.
I have a serious talk with myself. It is ok to talk to yourself, occasionally. I have asked myself these questions: Has God ever failed me? Does God love me? Does God want what is best for me? The point of asking these questions is to put myself back in the passenger seat. Sometimes ladies do not want to trust because they want to control. It is either one or the other, but not both. A happy life is trusting. The anxiety-filled life is control.
I remember what He has done in the past. I can look in my prayer journal at past answers to prayer. I am encouraged by the past prayers that have been answered.
I look up verses and put them in places where I can read them. The verses encourage me and remind me that God is faithful and can be trusted. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thy understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” We know the verses Proverbs 3:5-6. We even have it highlighted in our Bibles, but do we believe them?
I pray more often about the need I have. James 5:16B, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
I am not sure where you are in this journey of trusting God. But you can trust Him. He knows what is best. Trusting God gives us peace and confidence in His plan. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
There have been times that I have struggled with trusting God. Unfortunately, those times were filled with worry and fear. I can never get those days back that I spent worrying. You have heard it before, but it is a good reminder- “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but never gets you anywhere.”