God in the Driver’s Seat
Philippians 2:13
‘For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.’
The last 18 months I’ve learnt more about myself, my friends, and about God’s grace than ever before. As we transition into whatever life will look like following the lifting of covid restrictions, I’ve found myself looking back on how I’ve grown, what I’ve learnt, and what I want to take forward to the next chapter. I am strongly resisting the urge to call this week’s devotionals ‘Lockdown Lessons’, but that is in effect what they are. Hopefully my ‘learnings’ will benefit your perspective as you too pray and reflect on your own growth, and prompt you to dream for the future.
In the chaos, confusion and changing dynamics of the pandemic, it’s become evident that it’s our human nature to constantly look for opportunities to be self-sufficient and exert our own control. We put structures in place and strive to find solutions in order to feel like we’ve got everything just where we want it.
At various times in our lives God allows these structures to fall and the comfort blankets we’ve put around ourselves to be removed. It’s in this place, where so many of us have been in the last two years, that we are reminded of the truth that the only real security is in Jesus. We need to surrender control and remember God’s perspective is far greater than our own. We realise again that he is in the driver’s seat and we are the passenger.
It’s sad that we spend so much of our lives trying to exert control over our circumstances, instead of recognising we are designed to serve God’s vision for us and to ‘fulfil his good purpose’. We are called to a place of surrender and the submission of our preferences to his sovereign plan - which in effect is the greatest comfort and relief we could ever need.
Prayer – Lord, highlight the structures I’m building in my life that give me a false sense of security, and allow me to rest in the truth that you alone are in control. Lead me forward by your grace.