Who is driving you life?

Do you ever feel like life is getting by you, it’s out of control, things are happening left and right that YOU don’t know what to do?

The last several months I feel like God has been drilling into that “Hey, I got this!  I’m in control.”  There have been a lot of questions as to 1. God where do you want us, where are we supposed to be and what are we supposed to do.  2. Then we bought a house…Lord are we supposed to buy this house. 3.  Adoption…answering questions, the right child, etc.  Lord just WHAT DO YOU WANT OF ME??? What am I supposed to do??? How can I fix this? For a moment, I think my ears had closed to what God was saying and I was listening to my own thoughts.

Let’s talk about who is driving our lives.  In Matthew 4 Jesus came across two fishermen Peter and Andrew.  Jesus told them to “come follow me, I will make you fishers of men”. Then he came across James and John.  He said come on..come follow me.  Without question or hesitation..the bible says immediately they followed.  It didn’t say they stopped and asked 20 questions.  They didn’t ask where are we going, when will we be back, what is the long term goal here Lord.  NO, they dropped EVEERYTHING to follow him no questions asked.

As Christians here’s where we sometimes mess up:  We question God. Even when we shouldn’t question God His grace takes over and he has answers for us.  Might not be the answers we thought we wanted to hear. Here are some things you need to know.

Isaiah 55:8-11 (NLT)

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ 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.

¹⁰ “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
    and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
    producing seed for the farmer
    and bread for the hungry.
¹¹ It is the same with my word.
    I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
    and it will prosper everywhere I send it.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (MSG)

¹¹True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going.

So it appears God is telling us, “Hey I know what I’m doing.  You don’t need to know everything.  Trust me.  I know what I’m doing”.

Jeremiah 29:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

That’s who is driving my life…that is where my hope should be…that’s where my trust is laid…in Jesus Christ!

It’s easy to not question God when the blessings are pouring down.  But what about when the crap hits the fan??

Proverbs 16:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

John 16:33 (NLT)

³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

He never promised that every day was going to be hunky dory.  He never promised us that living a Christian life was going to be easy.  There will be times when we don’t know what to do and there is no way this could ever work out like it should. I have said before “There is no way God…..”.

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)

²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible.”

and

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

I Am called according to his purpose! It tells me in the very next verse 29

Romans 8:29 (NLT)

²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

That’s me!  That’s you! You want to know more about what trusting in the Lord and letting him drive your life..just read all of Psalm 37.

Psalm 37:23-24  (NLT)

²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Hebrews 2:5-9 (NLT)

⁵ And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. ⁶ For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    or a son of man that you should care for him?
⁷ Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁸ You gave them authority over all things.”

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. ⁹ What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.

Do you understand why Jesus had to be sent to the cross for our sins?

Sometimes I don’t.  I don’t know why God didn’t zap us and just start over.  But then I hear that still small voice Because God sooo loved the world….He KNEW this was coming. God is never caught unaware!  We can’t understand sometimes…but what we have to know is HE KNOWS!  He knows the things you think you are keeping secret, he knows what you are going through, He knows the thoughts that run through your brain,  and He knows what’s ahead.  TRUST HIM to drive your life!  Pray that he removes you out of your own way so He can have HIS way in you.

There is so much more scripture I could bring you to prove to you God is in control…trust me as of late I think I have read them all.  Let me leave you with these last couple thoughts…..

Revelation 1:17-18 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

Isaiah 41:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

The Lord tells us often in His word “fear not”. He’s got this. And though things may not be exactly the outcomes that we think they should be and we are always trying to give God OUR counsel…He knows what he’s doing, put your trust and faith in Him.

James 5 he urges us to have patience for one another…to pray for one another. He says in verse 16 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Don’t be afraid to seek out wise counsel from your church leadership.  The bible tells us to seek wise counsel, but remember that Jesus IS the ultimate counselor.  Establish bible reading and prayer time and establish relationship with Him.