Wheel of My Life

“Therefore, submit to God.”

    James 4:7 (NKJV)

“If you confess with your mouth

the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart

that God has raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved.”

     Romans 10:9 (NKJV)

As I write this, we’re in the midst of another very heavy snow storm.  It seems appropriate to hear the song “Jesus take the wheel” on the radio, although I’m grateful to be working from home today rather than out driving in the blizzard.  Even in good conditions, I don’t like driving and regularly pray for God’s help to drive safely.  But I need Jesus to take the wheel of my life, not just the steering wheel of my car. 

Because if Jesus is our personal Savior, then we also must confess Him as Lord and submit to His will.  In church last Sunday, the pastor talked about the difference between surrender and submission.  He analogized to a military situation where soldiers who surrender usually do so involuntarily and with an eye towards finding a way of escape to re-gain their freedom. They may surrender on the outside because they have to, but not in their hearts. Submission, on the other hand, is voluntary and involves our heart, soul and mind.

Too often, Christians may refer to Jesus as Lord, but they fight His rule in their lives and rebel by going their own way, pursuing their own will. Have you ever sought the Lord’s help on a big issue but then came up with “Plan B” just in case?  Or committed a decision to God but then took action when you couldn’t wait for (or didn't like) His answer?  Or has Jesus been Lord on Sunday but not the rest of the week?  It's easy to say the right words yet act according to our own agenda.  When we do so, however, we miss out on the great blessing that comes from being fully submitted to Him.

God does not want our halfhearted acquiescence; He desires to be Lord of our lives.  He wants devoted followers who will relinquish our wills, our desires and our plans, who will voluntarily submit to His rule because He knows best.  When you know that God’s promises are true, when you’ve experienced His faithfulness time and again, when you’re sure that He’s worthy of being trusted with everything, then you will come to know His peace.  Then you can let go and experience joy and true rest because He is in control.

Jesus has the wheel of my life.  My prayer is that you too know the blessings of submission to Jesus as Lord.