More Doubt Than Trust

Back in 2005, three country songwriters got together to collaborate on another song. The writers, Bret James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson, had collaborated on many songs in the past and had quite a list of hits. But now, they struggled to come up with anything that could lead to a hit. Then Gordie said, “Well, I have this one title, “When Jesus Takes the Wheel.” Most of the time, the three writers could trust each other’s ideas. But that was not the case this time. Here’s what Bret James says happened next:

” I wasn’t sure at all. I said, “OK, so we got Jesus on the road, driving a Toyota? What’s he got?” We laughed about it and just moved on. We went on to the next (title) and then the next one, and the next one. And fortunately, we were stuck, and we couldn’t come up with anything. Jesus totally took the wheel on that one. We came back (to it), and we started writing a song about a girl driving to Cincinnati…we all wrote it together. We really thought it was too out there. We didn’t think that much of it, to be honest. We didn’t trust that it would go anywhere.”

 Carrie Let Jesus Take the Wheel

A few months later Carrie Underwood won American Idol and released “Jesus Take the Wheel” as her first single. While some questioned her choice of songs, she knew right away that it was the right song for her.

“People started saying, ‘Oh, it’s kind of risky. You’re coming out with a religious song. But, I was thinking, ‘Really?’ I grew up in Oklahoma. I always had a close relationship with God. I never thought it was risky in the least! If anything, I thought it was the safest thing I could do!” Her trust in God was stronger than any doubts.

Her Trust Turned Into Success

Then she sang “Jesus, Take the Wheel” on the CMA awards. Before long, it spent six weeks as the number one country song and won many awards, including Country Song of the Year for 2005.

I love to read about the background of how songs came to be. Often, songs and hymns tend to have a meaningful story behind them. With this country hit, those involved really believed that Jesus took the wheel! Who would have thought that people’s lives would be changed?

If you haven’t heard it lately, here’s a link to the song and video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU

Success Turned Into Changed Lives

So, why am I sharing about a country music song from 18 years ago? I’m not going to debate the lifestyles of those involved or the Christian merits of the song. It’s not about the writers, the singer, or the awards. It’s about a song that reached millions of people with a message they may not have heard any other way. I trust that God can use anyone anywhere to share His message.

After the song was released, the writers heard hundreds of stories from people who had been in similar situations with nowhere else to turn.

Where is Our Trust?

Sometimes, when we feel helpless and afraid, all we can do is throw up our hands and cry for help. We finally give up and let the Lord take control. Why do we wait until we are helpless? Why do we try every human solution before giving Jesus his shot at it?  Obviously, he knows better than we do that life can be full of struggles and pain, but when we trust in him, we can find peace in the midst of every trial. He will not always take away our struggles, but he will always give us his presence and strength to get through them. And the best part of all is that we are stronger because of it!

I want Jesus to be in control of my life every minute of every day. Then, when I get into something greater than I can handle on my own, I can take a deep breath, close my eyes and remember that Jesus has already taken the wheel and will always guide me safely to where I need to go.

Let Him Take The Wheel in Your Life

Oh, my dear one, I know you have struggles you think he can’t understand or solve. It’s a helpless feeling to think you are all alone, isn’t it? But I promise he has never left your side. He wants you to just trust him. It may be difficult to do, but release those worries and pain into his hands.

Can you see how much better life can be when we give him control? We know he loves us and will always steer us in the perfect direction. But sometimes it may seem as if he is taking a long detour to get where we want to go. We’d like to tell him to hurry up! We want to grab the steering wheel back from his hands and do it our way! But the more we let go, the more we can trust that he has everything under control. When we release our fears and worries to him that is where we find peace. So, put your seat belt on, and enjoy the ride.

“Jesus, take the wheel. Take it from my hands. ‘Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go, So give me one more chance, And save me from this road I’m on. Jesus, take the wheel.”

Prayer:

Dear Father, today I release all my struggles, my pain, my worries, and my fears into your hands. It’s scary to let go. Help me to trust that you will guide me safely and give me your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.