Out Of Control
There is no feeling worse than feeling out of control.I was twenty years old, living in Texas, and on my way home from work. I had gotten up before dawn that day to fix my car, so that it could get me to work, so I was unusually tired. I kept nodding off but was sure I could keep myself awake. Bad decision. When my right front tire left the pavement, it jolted me awake. I saw the speedometer at 55, looked up, and saw a power line pole directly in front of me. I hit the brakes––nothing. I turned the wheel––nothing. I was completely out of control. It seemed like minutes passed as the pole loomed closer and closer, and I could do nothing. All I could do was cry out to God (which I did!) and brace myself on the steering wheel. The next thing I can remember, the broken pole was falling in slow motion, and there were high voltage sparks everywhere. I walked away with barely a scratch, but my car didn’t. It was totaled.I will never forget that feeling of being out of control. There was a twinge of guilt and regret along with it (for not pulling over when I knew I was struggling to stay awake). But the helpless nature of seeing an impending collision was terrifying.Then there was the time I was in the city and I watched a cyclist run right through a red light. I watched as he pulled out in the middle of traffic into the path of an oncoming car. I shouted at him (with my windows rolled up), but again, there was nothing I could do. He was struck and no doubt, seriously hurt.Some of you are feeling that way right now. You are heading straight for a life collision and there is nothing you can do. Maybe you did fall asleep at the wheel, but you are awake now, and all you can do is brace yourself as you see the pole approaching.Worse, some of you are watching a loved one, a child, sibling, or friend, make a series of bad decisions and are now about to get hit…bad. Again, there’s nothing you can do.It’s a horrible feeling, but sometimes, it can be the best place to be.Here’s the truth, WE ARE NEVER IN CONTROL! It’s the trick of the evil one to deceive us into thinking that we are. He wants us to think we are in control. He wants us to think of ourselves as little gods, able to manage everything around us. It’s usually not until we are totally out of control before we are willing to acknowledge that only God is sovereign. He is never out of control. Our best bet in any situation is to trust him, listen to him, obey him, and rest in his goodness.Are you feeling out of control right now? Read the Psalmist's reminder in Psalm 46:1-3.“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” (NLT).Why did he say this? He tells us towards the end of the Psalm. It’s to sink home God’s message in the middle of trouble, "Be still, and know that I am God!" (v. 10).He’s always in control. You never really are. He is God. You are not. That’s something we all need to be reminded of often.