Is the Shepherd in the Driver's Seat?

When you were a child, did you ever ride in a car with a trustworthy adult who suddenly took you on unfamiliar roads? Though it startled you, you knew and loved the driver enough to know that they were taking you someplace nice? Perhaps it was full of bumps and scary ravines, a lonely dirt road or even in a busy metropolitan area where they had to dodge traffic and take quick sharp turns. No matter how tough it got, you never tried to take the wheel. Why would you, anyway? You can't drive. You don't know the way.

"Where are we going?" you asked.

"Don't worry. You'll like it. Just trust me," came the reply.

So you sit, grinning ear to ear or staring out the window, trying to figure it all out and then finally give up. Either you sat there in peace, knowing that everything was going to be okay or you started up a conversation about something else, all the while thinking about where your journey would take you?

When you finally arrived, you found yourself at a sandy ocean beach or cozy restaurant with an ice cream parlor on the side. All the wonder and worry seem to fade away and you revel in your destination.

Well, life is kind of like that sometimes for a Christian. Sometimes we think we know the familiar way to go. We map it out. Plan our work. Work our plan and suddenly, we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory.

If you are a Christian, you have moved to the passenger seat and trusted the Almighty to drive your life and your career path. You are His child and look to Him to take you where you need to go.

Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me able to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name sake."

We know this. We quote it. But when the tough times come, what do we do? Quote and believe the rest? "Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me..."

It's not often that we walk through the valley of the shadow of death but we do walk through grave situations. Financial struggles, stressful schedules, health issues, unknown futures--these things all overwhelm us. They tempt us to jump back in the driver's seat of our lives and careers. We try to take matters in our own hands and fix things. But we can't drive. We don't know the way. If we try to chart a course in unfamiliar territory, we will be lost or end up in an unpleasant place.

So what can we do? Look to Him. Do not fear. Trust and let go of the wheel. Remember that He is taking you someplace good--someplace with a hope and a future--somewhere unforgettable.

"...You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."