Lectio Archives - Page 18 of 32

Let go and let God!

Surrender! Jesus Take the Wheel is the title of one of my favorite Carrie Underwood songs. The reason I love it so much is the words illustrate the power of surrender. Here are the words (tap the link to see the video):

“Jesus Take The Wheel”

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat
Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline
It’d been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn’t pay attention
She was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn’t even have time to cry
She was so scared
She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this on my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I’m on
Jesus take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
And the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock
And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray
She said I’m sorry for the way
I’ve been living my life
I know I’ve got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this on my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I’m on
Oh, Jesus take the wheel

Oh, I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I’m on
From this road I’m on
Jesus take the wheel

Oh, take it, take it from me.
Oh, wow, ohhhhh.

What can we take away from this beautiful, powerful song? Miracles CAN happen if we trust in divine intervention and surrender to God’s will. It is no secret that we tend to be brought to our knees in times of trouble. We are humbled when we experience things in life we could never have imagined. We surrender to God only when we are out of options. How much different our lives would be if we prayed without ceasing, walked humbly and let go and let God!

Surrender? The woman in the song KNEW enough to pray to Jesus, she LOVED Him enough to beg his forgiveness and she chose to live in SERVICE to Him by surrendering to His will for her life. That’s all we are called to do – to know, love and serve our Lord! Can you do that – let Jesus take the Wheel? God bless you!

Rosary Basilica – France

This week for lectio divina I opened my Bible to 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8. The “word” that stood out was “when we could bear it no longer, we decided to remain alone.”

It seems Paul has had more than he can stand. He and his “crew” are worn out and they need time to recharge. They also need someone else to cover their “mission.” As a result, he sends Timothy to continue to encourage the Thessalonians. By the end of the verse we see how he is reassured. He is reassured because Timothy returns with the news that the faith of the Thessalonians stands firm.

This verse reminds us of the importance of taking time to recharge. For me attending a weekly prayer group, going on retreat and attending Eucharistic Adoration is how I recharge. It is also a reminder that it’s ok to ask others for help in keeping and sharing the faith.

As children of God, there are times when we willingly and effortlessly accept the strength and grace God offers us. Then there are times when we feel like we just don’t have the strength or courage to do it alone and that’s ok too. Even Paul recognized this difficulty. Even he had to take a step back and let others come to his “rescue.” He knew he needed the help of others to strengthen and encourage, not only him, but others in the faith.

Paul says: “so that no one be disturbed in their afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.” We are destined for this -affliction and persecution. Paul decided to “remain alone.” He knew he was not going to be able to reflect all that is good, true and beautiful. He didn’t want anyone else to be disturbed by his energy. He also warned that we all are destined to experience the same affliction and persecution.

Affliction and persecution comes to us in many forms. We witness the persecution of Christians throughout the world everyday, we experience it in our own neighborhoods and homes. We are afflicted by the thoughts in our minds. The tempter is constantly putting us to the test. How do we survive it? We remind ourselves that we’re on the most powerful team, the WINNING team! We do it, as Paul did, with the help of others – in community! Paul understood the importance of community. He depended on people in his community to “pick up the slack” – to build him up while allowing him to lay low for a while.

This is why I love being part of a prayer group. We get together every week and we allow the Spirit to move us in ways we just couldn’t do alone. There are times we discuss books, there are times when we read scripture, there are times when we pray the entire time and then there are times when we just need to talk about life and share thoughts. The greatest thing is each member offers a different perspective. We listen, we comfort and we learn from one another. Most importantly, we understand when someone needs to be lifted up – when they can “bear it no longer” – and we do our best to offer encouraging words and assure them of our constant support in prayer! Thank God for our sisters in Christ!

Going to a weekly prayer group meeting for me is like stopping at the gas station to re-fuel. The love, compassion and over all connection with non-judgmental women on the journey brings me joy and energizes me to do the work of God.