Trust In Car Alone

We have a variety of vehicles in our driveway. A Chevy Astro, Kia Sedona, Honda Civic, Nissan Rogue, and even a vintage 1988 AMC Eagle. My sons drive a Toyota and a Suzuki. Include my daughters and we add a Hyundai, a Dodge, and a Ford. We are fairly well covered in the automotive spectrum. All are road worthy, though some may question the Eagle. They are a pretty dependable means of transportation. We also occasionally use trains, planes, and buses to get where we might need to go, but cars are the transport of choice. Being privileged to live in the United States of America, owning a car, and having readily available transportation is pretty much a given. When living outside of a metropolitan area having a car is almost essential to survival. I have possessed a variety in my life time. Ranging from the 60's muscle cars (1964 Mustang, 1966 Barracuda, 1969 Camaro) to the family Ford wagon and Chevy minivan. When looking at these, or whatever your mode of transportation might be, I see a challenging parallel with my spiritual life.

We are to be people of faith. Trusting the LORD God with our future and our day to day existence. If you are aware of who God is, this should be a bit of a no-brainer. He is awesome in power and yet intimately concerned with my well being. Solomon explains that if we want to have clarity in where we want to go in life, trust is essential. He spells it out for us in Proverbs 3:5-6, " Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct your paths." If we trust, if we believe, He will direct our paths. We do not need to understand, just trust, for there are times when things are simply beyond our understanding. No need for anxiety here, just relax and trust in the Lord.

However, this is not always my experience. I am the reason Paul wrote Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Anxiety is a result of a lack of trust. If we truly trusted we would be at peace and not be touched with worry or concern. We would treat God like we treat our cars. I drive a lot. I honestly enjoy being behind the wheel. I love road trips. Making a twelve hour straight drive to the Outer Banks is not an issue. It is actually pretty relaxing. So I put a lot of miles on my vehicles. I am not filled with anxiety wondering if my breaks work. In the hundreds of thousands of miles I have driven my brakes have failed once. They are dependable so I never stress over whether or not they will come through for me. I do maintain a relationship with them, checking the pads and fluid levels, occasionally replacing rotors and calipers. As long as I keep this proper relationship with them I am confident they will not fail me.

God, however, occasionally allows things to enter into my life that I am either not prepared for or simply do not like. Sickness, unexpected expenses, loss of people I love, and a variety of other things that make my existence uncomfortable. So when this happens I fret a little. I also complain about the circumstances and remind God that this is not what I want. Oh, I do pray, and I do get around to the trust thing. But I also have had sleepless nights, long walks in the rain, and an extra hour on the elliptical machine to burn off some frustrations. Why is it that I do not always go to the trust and relax mode? Why does it seem I have more confidence in my car getting me where I need to go and stopping when I hit the break peddle that I do with the Creator  of the universe? Shouldn't I have the same, if not more, confidence in the LORD God Almighty? He certainly has proven that He is able to care for me. His love could not be more obvious through the gift of His Son. But, I still question just what He allows.

I marvel at the account of Peter in Acts 12. Herod had arrested James, John's brother, and had him executed. Seeing that it pleased the Jews he arrested Peter and intended to execute him as well. Peter is in the inner prison under guard. Acts 12:6, "And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison." Did you catch that? Peter's friend, business partner, fellow disciple and one of the inner circle with Messiah has been arrested and killed. Now he, Peter, awaits the same fate and he is asleep. Really asleep, check out verse 7, "Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, 'Arise quickly!' And his chains fell off his hands." The angel has to poke Peter to wake him up. The brilliant light was not enough. I would not be asleep. Praying, maybe. Having a few anxiety issues, perhaps. Wondering what God was doing?  I am pretty sure that would be on my sleepless agenda. I guess I still have a ways to go with that trust issue.

Somehow, I hope to find the balance between trust and taking God for granted. To have the same quiet confidence that I have in my car's brakes. To know He is present at the moment those anxious events occur. To simply trust Him all the time. To escape my attempt at my own understanding and acknowledge Him as He directs my path.

So how goes the trust factor going in your life? Your car or your God. Who provides that quiet confidence that keeps you from doubt? Just something to think about.