Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

My grandson was learning to drive. I encouraged him to imagine his steering wheel was a clock, and always to have his hands at “ten to two”. In this position, he would have the best control of the car.

How good it is to know that our Heavenly Father has His hand on the wheel at “ten to two”. As much as the world appears to be in chaos, He is working out His purposes, and they will be fulfilled whether we cooperate with Him or not.

Is God’s hand on the wheel?

God is sovereign and omniscient, but not controlling. In His magnificent grace, He has given us free will. We can choose to follow Him or not. Not everything that happens is God’s will. If we choose to be irresponsible, unaccountable, and doubting His goodness, then it’s like we step out of the protection of our car and expose ourselves to danger – both spiritual and physical.

There is also the mystery of suffering – why are some miraculously healed and some are not? As the Psalmist begs: why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper (Psalm 73)? But we are assured there is a day of reckoning. From our perspective, the wicked may seem “to get away with it”, but through the lens of eternity, the truth is made clear.

The Rear Vision Mirror

God invites us to look in the rear-view mirror and see what He has done. When we search the scriptures, we see prophecy after prophecy has been fulfilled, and all His promises are “Yes and Amen”. Not a single promise has been negated, although some are yet to come to pass.

But if our rear window is dirty, we can’t see out – we have a clouded perspective of God’s goodness. Hebrews 12:1 urges us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us”. The sin referred to here is doubt about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It continues:

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
~ Hebrews 12:2

Heavenly Air Bags

We may never know how many times our guardian angel has inflated those heavenly airbags and prevented us from being seriously injured. How many near misses, almost disasters, and miraculous escapes we experience every day, but do not recognise?

Each morning we can invite the Lord’s protection, and each evening thank Him for bringing us safely through the day.

Brakes

The foot brake can lock the wheels and cause us to pull up sharply. Sometimes it is necessary to apply the brakes to whatever we are doing, to prevent a spiritual, relational or physical collision.

Sometimes we may need to make a “hand-brake turn”.  This allows us to make a sharp turn, effectively locking the rear wheels. Breaking with addiction, anger, malice, gossip, hatred, and unforgiveness may require this kind of drastic action, causing us to face the opposite way.

Repentance isn’t just saying sorry – it’s a complete turn-around. We may need some help with this – God promises to be our “tow truck” – picking us up, no matter how damaged we are, and taking us to the repair shop of His love, mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Are your headlights on?

It can be quite scary trying to navigate in the dark without a light. Sometimes, the street lights are so bright we don’t realise we haven’t turned on our car lights. Sometimes the temptations around us make us dull to the light we carry. Jesus said:

“Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.”
~ Matthew 5:17

Having your tyres pumped

Attention to your tyres is critical. The right pressure, alignment and a good tread ensure a firm grip on the road. We won’t get far if our tyres are flat or misaligned.

Similarly, for a firm grip and balanced life, we need to ensure we are aligned with God’s purposes. How easy it is to be overwhelmed with fake news and misinformation. God’s truth, as found in His Word, confirmed by the Holy Spirit and encouraged by wise counsel in fellowship and worship, will keep us close to Him.

Looking under the bonnet

Maybe the shiny exterior is hiding something sinister under the bonnet. For a car to perform at its peak, the engine must be finely tuned, with all parts working in harmony. If you are selling your car, you do well to ensure that under the bonnet is as clean and presentable as the exterior.

This is so for our lives, physically, emotionally, spiritually and relationally. We need a regular “grease and oil change” and maintenance, checking to see we can continue to drive to our optimum capacity.

Keeping our engine finely tuned means staying close to Jesus in prayer, in daily access to His Word, and in fellowship with other believers.

Our Heavenly GPS

We have all become dependent on our Global Positioning System. Think about the wonder of this. You climb in your car, type in the place you want to go, and bingo – a mysterious voice tells you exactly how to get there – even which lane to be in for each appropriate turn.

Our Heavenly Father has provided us with the most wonderful manual to guide us. The fact that Scripture has been preserved and is available to us today is nothing short of a miracle. We should not take this for granted. From Genesis to Revelation, we have God’s love letter.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 contains the most beautiful promises:

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

We can be absolutely sure of our destination if we follow the directions He has given us.

Don’t keep your car in the garage

For optimum enjoyment and facility of your car, you use it often. You need to be out there – telling the good news of God’s transformative, redemptive love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. It doesn’t matter if you’re a tiny Mini, a Tesla or a Lamborghini – we all have a part to play.

How wonderful to be able to say with Paul:

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day –
and not only me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”
~ 2 Timothy 4:7-8

___

Image courtesy of Adobe.