A Steering Wheel, or a Spare Tire?
Hello! Today I was driving to church and I saw something that really made me think. Driving is one of the most useful times to just THINK about stuff. Deep stuff. You turn off the radio, and just think, breathe, and pray. So, without further ado, here’s my story 🙂
I was driving to church today when I passed a sign outside of a different church. What the sign said made me think about my spiritual life – specifically, my prayer life. It was one of those statements that kind of gives you a mental punch in the stomach or slap across the face. You know what I’m talking about. It’s so profoundly simple, but you realize right then and there that you haven’t been doing, thinking, or saying the right things. You have forgotten this simple truth, whatever it happens to be.
The sign said the following:
“Is prayer your steering wheel, or your spare tire?”
Ouch.
I get what it’s saying….
“Is prayer your first move, or your last resort?”
Okay now I’ll explain.
First, think about that statement. Is prayer a tool that you use correctly in your life? When trouble comes your way, what do you do? Do you panic, lash out at other people, or try to fix things on your own? Sometimes we can forget to pray in all the noise and chaos, and prayer becomes our last resort.
It’s like we say “Okay God…I’ve tried everything I can do, nothing’s worked, and I’m all out of ideas, so I thought I’d ask and see if You could help.”
I know that’s not what we really say or think, but it’s what I imagine it sounds like to God when I do that. Sadly, many of us do this all the time. It just seems like stopping to pray is counterproductive doesn’t it? With the time I could have been doing something to fix my problems, I was sitting around praying?
No. Prayer should be our FIRST move. When things don’t go our way, we need to stop and pray. Pray and ask God to guide your life.
Have you ever gotten lost? I have. A LOT. Anyone in my family will tell you that I’m directionally challenged. Luckily, I have a GPS on my phone 🙂 Unluckily, I still feel like I’m completely lost at times. There have been times when I’m listening to my GPS talk to me, and it tells me to take an exit I’m not sure about, or it brings me somewhere I’ve never been. HOWEVER…it always takes me where I want to go. I have learned to trust my GPS, because it knows how to get to where I want to go and I don’t. Even if I feel like I’m headed the wrong way, I know everything will turn out fine if I listen to my GPS.
Life is kind of like that…except you don’t know exactly where you’re going, and you don’t program your GPS. God does, and only He knows where you’re headed and all the wonderful things He has in store for your life.
So is prayer your steering wheel? Do you steer your life in accordance to the guidance of God’s council? It is essential to pray and seek His will in your life so that you can stay on the right path! So first, pray about where you are headed, and then….BE STILL. Wait for an answer! I’m super impatient and sometimes forget this step, but it’s EXTREMELY important to do!
Now this doesn’t mean you should sit around your house watching Netflix and eating Doritos as you obediently wait for God to answer your prayer. I just think we need to be patient with any big choices that need to be made. Don’t rush into a solution to a problem before you’ve asked the Creator for His advice on said problem.
God loves us so much more than we can even imagine, and He will always guide us towards what is good and beneficial for us. He wants what’s best for us, and He wants to mold us into something great. Sometimes hardships are part of that molding process. It takes time.
Prayer is POWERFUL! I know it doesn’t seem that way, but it is! Just think about it. You are talking to the Creator of the universe, and there is NOTHING He can’t do! It’s the most powerful weapon you have, so use it!
Don’t let prayer be your spare tire that’s only used when a problem blows up in your life…Make it your GPS – your steering wheel. Make it your first priority.
Until next time,
Hope Frances
