Jesus is Not My Co-Pilot; I’m a Passenger

​The phrase “Jesus is my co-pilot” has been said for years. And it sounds good…until you realize that you have no right being in the cockpit. Releasing control is counter-cultural but it is Biblical. Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (ESV).
 
Being a passenger might seem like taking a backseat to life, and in our fast-paced and ambitious society, why would anyone do that? Why would we yield to someone else’s map for life? When the storms of life loom ahead, why wouldn’t we re-route?
 
Isaiah 40:28 states, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
 
Taking a backseat to God’s direction isn’t laziness, but rather trust. It’s trusting that the Lord knows what is best. It’s a “Jesus take the wheel” moment. He is in full control. And that is scary! But when life gets thrown at you, when you receive a diagnosis you didn’t expect, or when you lose your job—you soon realize how little control you had to begin with.
 
Storms of life come, and we don’t have the view that God does. We just look through our double-layered windows and see gray puffs of cloud. And isn’t that just how life goes? We don't have detailed charts of what we will be traveling over in the next year, we can only see what comes into view at the moment.
 
Sometimes you get a warning that the ride is going to be a little bumpy, and other times turbulence strikes out of nowhere. Like air currents, life cannot be manipulated to suit our comforts. We don't know when life is going to throw a curveball and send our diet Coke spilling out of the glass. And sometimes bad air is inevitable when traveling over certain areas.
 
Life is not smooth sailing, there are different terrains. But with a skilled pilot, though hitting “air pockets” is scary, you know you’re not going to crash. Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
 
Sometimes when people are scared about riding in the sky, they’re anxious that if something goes wrong they can’t fix it. They don’t have literal boots on the ground or the knowledge to change circumstances. By stepping on the plane, you silently relinquish control.
 
I wonder if they knew the pilot if there would be a greater sense of peace. God is good. He may fly us through some storms, but he is always with us. He doesn’t eject himself from the plane, leaving us hopeless in our trials. The Lord has his chart and knows exactly the end goal.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” There’s something beautiful about an adventure you don’t have all the pieces to. Allow the Lord to truly pilot your life, sit back, and trust him.