Why Jesus Didn't Take the Wheel

Recently I heard Carrie Underwood's song, Jesus Take The Wheel for the first time.  I instantly fell in love with it.  I told a Christian brother about my new find, and he was baffled.  "You have never heard 'Jesus Take the Wheel before?'" he asked.  

He went on to tell me about the song and how popular it was in Christian circles.  While he didn't openly say it, the tone of his voice seamed to say, How could you be a Christian and not have heard 'Jesus take the wheel?' 

In the days following that interaction I listened to Carrie's song many more times.  I still like the song, but I started look past the nice tune to the message that this song was conveying.

In a nutshell, for those sheltered souls like me, who have not heard this song, it is about a young lady who is driving a long way to her parent's house. She has her infant child in the back seat.  She is driving 'way too fast', and she has 'a lot on her mind' and is not paying attention to the road.  Then she hits a patch of black ice and looses control of the vehicle.

At this point she sees both her life and her babies' life flash before her eyes and she cries out, "Jesus take the wheel."  Fortunately, the story - the song - has a happy ending. Jesus does take the wheel.  She arrives safely at the side of the road and her baby in the back seat was not even awakened from her sleep.

But I started to think, What if Jesus had not taken the wheel?  What if he let her car go smashing into another car or a guard rail?  What if Jesus let her become paralyzed? What if her baby had been killed? What if, because she was 'going way to fast' and not paying attention to her driving, she was charged with vehicular homicide or manslaughter and sent to prison for many years?  What if because of her actions none of her family wanted to have anything to do with her anymore?  What if Jesus had not taken the Wheel?

This past week a very similar thing happened to a another young lady.  She was apparently distracted while driving her car, and ran into another car, which in turn slammed into and killed a small child. The initial news reports say there was no evidence that she tried to stop.  Unfortunately for this young lady, and for the toddler and the toddlers' family, she never had time to ask Jesus to take the Wheel. Or if she did, Jesus said 'No!'

We will never know this side of the grave, why Jesus chooses to take the wheel in one instance, and then stands back, seemingly with arms folded, in the next.  It's almost like, if Jesus likes you, he will keep you from suffering, and if he doesn't like you, well, then you're on your own.

In the book of Job we are given a very rare peek into what goes on in the spiritual realm.  We are told about Job, a righteous man that is living a life pleasing to God.  And then the Devil appears before God in heaven and tells God that Job is only living a righteous life because God has blessed him with much family and material possessions.

We are then told that God gives the devil permission to inflict great suffering upon Job, to see whether or not is only serving God for personal gain.  And so the devil inflicts tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy on Job. And chapter one ends with Job saying these words:

"The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And the Bible says, In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1:21,22).

God has a reason for allowing bad things to happen to people.   For one person it may be punishment or discipline for unrepented sin.  The Bible says, "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." -Galatians 6:7

For another person God may be preparing them so they will be able to comfort others who are suffering.  Again, the Bible tells us, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble." It's not about you and it's not about me.  There is a whole world of hurting people out there and God needs comforters.

I still like Carrie Underwood's song, Jesus Take The Wheel.  And if you love our Lord Jesus and put your trust in him to save you, then he has a firm hold on the wheel of your life. And if he chooses to steer you through some rough roads, just believe that he knows what he is doing. And we have his promise that "All things work together for good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28)

Recommended reading:

Footprints in the Sand, by Mary Stevenson