Jesus, take the wheel

By Ann Mann

Do you remember learning to drive? My niece Perry recently turned 16, and she’s now driving herself to school. Watching her reminds me of my own early days behind the wheel.

I was taught by my mother, father, and grandmother. My grandmother lived in Enterprise, Alabama, in a single-wide trailer on the family farm. Those dirt roads winding through the countryside were the perfect place to learn. My grandmother was patient and persistent. She would quietly remind me, “Slow down.”  “Don’t follow too close.” “Turn left here.”

I’ll admit, I didn’t always take direction well. When I got my learner’s permit at 15, I was convinced I already knew everything I needed to know. After all, I had read the driver’s manual! But when I listened, not only did I arrive at my destination, I got there safely. All because of the great instruction I was given.

We see a request from David for that kind of instruction from God in Psalm 25. It’s a prayer for guidance, filled with phrases like, “Show me your ways, Lord,” “Teach me your paths,” and “Guide me in your truth.” 

King David, the psalm’s author, recognizes something we often resist: his own limitations. He knows he doesn’t have all the answers. He admits his failures, and then asks God to lead. In other words, he asks Jesus to take the wheel.

That phrase may sound familiar. Carrie Underwood’s song, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” tells the story of someone at the end of her rope, recognizing she cannot steer her life on her own.

Like David, she surrenders control. Yielding to the Lord is not weakness, it’s strength. It takes courage to loosen our grip on the wheel and trust God’s direction.

We hear the same invitation in the prayer Jesus taught His disciples, The Lord’s Prayer.

When we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” we are yielding, not insisting on our own way.

When we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we admit our dependence on God’s provision.

When we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses,” we acknowledge our need for mercy.
When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we invite God to guide us.

The Lord’s Prayer is not a checklist. It’s an orientation of the heart. Like Psalm 25, it reminds us to place ourselves in God’s hands, to let God take the wheel.

So how do we live this out?

Pray with openness. Don’t just bring God our list of needs. Bring Him our willingness. Pray, “Show me your way.” Pray, “Jesus, take the wheel.”

Listen for instruction. God leads through Scripture, through the Spirit, and often through the voices of others. Yielding requires listening.

Walk it out. Don’t just say, “Thy will be done.” Live it. Forgive the person. Share the bread. Choose the honest path over the easy one.

Trust the outcome. Yielding doesn’t mean we will always understand every turn in the road.

Sometimes the path feels uncertain. But trust grows as we walk with the One who knows the way.

Learning to drive taught me more than just how to handle a car. It taught me the value of guidance. My grandmother’s steady voice was there to remind me when to slow down, when to turn, and when to keep going.

God offers us that same steady presence. We don’t need all the answers. We just need to trust the One who does, and let Jesus take the wheel.

Ann Mann is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, now serving as pastor to Barnesville First United Methodist Church. You can email her at annmann@comcast.net. Her book, “Finding Hope in the Storm,” is available on Amazon.)