When I was a young Christian, my pastor would often say, “Let go and let God.” It was a catchy phrase that sounded like good advice, but in my daily life I have found it much easier to say than to do. Too often I would pray, “Lord, how will I ever be able to do this?” When I should have prayed, “Lord, I can’t wait to see how you do this!”
I have used the analogy before that the Christian life is like an automobile. We want to be in the driver’s seat with our hands firmly on the wheel making all of the decisions, while the Holy Spirit sits in the back seat dozing because we do not ask for His help. Then we become distracted by a tempting billboard or how someone else is driving. We take our eyes off of the road just long enough to wind up in a ditch. It is only then that we ask God through His Holy Spirit to take the wheel and get us out of trouble. Then as soon as our life is back on the straight and narrow, we say, “I can take it from here,” and it starts all over again.
You can see that same pattern when you read in Exodus about the Israelites’ trip out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Every time they got into trouble God took control and brought them through it in miraculous ways, but then they took control again and got into even more trouble.
God sent His son to break that endless cycle of sin and repentance. Jesus taught us how to live; trusting God the Father with everything. He died on the cross in our place and then rose from the dead to provide eternal life for all who believe in Him. God even sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and keep us on the road He prepared for us. So why do we still struggle to do it all ourselves? Do we underestimate that power within us? Perhaps we have forgotten what He has already brought us through. Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “Now to the God who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine, through the power at work in us.”
All we have to do is learn to let go of that steering wheel and let God take control to get us safely to our destination where we will dwell in His presence forever.