Romans 11:33-36, New Living Translation

“Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the Lord's thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.”

The infamous backseat driver…  Have you ever been one? Or maybe been driving with one? A backseat driver is someone who constantly criticizes your driving, often when there is no true need for criticism. They think they know the better, quicker, easier way to the given destination.

How about we apply this backseat driver concept to our relationship with God? God is sovereign. He is absolutely in control of our lives. As much as we would like to limit Him to riding in the passenger seat or being the GPS, God is, in fact, the driver. I have observed that many of our questions of God’s plan sound almost identical to a backseat driver. Sometimes we think we know the better or faster route in our lives. We may say the following to God:

Watch out for that ditch or bump in the road, like He doesn't know it's there, or are you sure this is the best way to get there? How about, I am in a bit of a hurry. Can you speed up? Or, You are going too fast!

Sometimes riding with God is like going on an off road trail or driving on an icy road with a rear wheel drive sports car. But God will always get you where you need to be exactly when you need to be there. God doesn’t make wrong turns. God never fails to notice deer crossing the highway, crater-sized potholes, or other drivers on the road.

Yes, God sometimes takes the scenic route when we prefer the fast lane. He does so because it is scenic. He has a purpose in it. We should stop complaining and enjoy the view. Yes, riding with God will result in what is, in our minds, accidents. Even in this we can… we must… trust Him. He knows what He is doing and His plan is perfect (Romans 8:28).

I admit that I am much better at not being a literal backseat driver than I am at not being a spiritual backseat driver. I trust God. I truly do. God has entirely and absolutely proven Himself to be trustworthy. But, yes, I still sometimes question Him. Thank you, Lord, for your love, mercy, and grace. The next time I am a spiritual backseat driver, please kick me out of the car and make me walk home.

From now on, whenever I experience a backseat driver, I am going to strive to remember to thank God for how patient He is with me. If you get annoyed by a backseat driver, imagine how annoying seven billion of them must be, yet God still loves us and shows us the best route for our lives.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) says,

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thought."

God always knows best. We need to sit back, trust Him and enjoy the ride.