Jesus Take The Wheel has become a classic. Just this week, Faithit shared a story about the extended part of the Serenity Prayer that is often overlooked.
When we pray for serenity, we’re essentially surrendering ourselves — every ounce of our being — to the Lord and His will. We pray for peace and wisdom, and we let go and let God.
Reading through, and sharing about the deeper meaning behind the serenity prayer made me think of one of my all-time favorite songs of this generation: Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel.”
“Jesus Take The Wheel,” tells a beautiful story from start to finish.
“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 yearShe 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…”
The lyrics paint an all-too-relatable picture of what often happens in our own life. How often do we find ourselves in difficult seasons? Just pressing on and trying to work ourselves through the storm? How often do we absent-mindedly drive from point A to point B on auto-pilot? How often do we find ourselves running low on faith and gasoline?
“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”
Carrie’s chorus to “Jesus Take The Wheel” is a beautiful parallel to the words we see in the serenity prayer:
“God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.”
Although the woman Carrie is singing about in the song isn’t directly asking God for peace or wisdom, her words are just that. A cry out to the Lord to change what she cannot. A full surrender to the Lord from the ways that are her own. And a prayer for forgiveness, as she Boldly steps out in faith and calls upon her God to take over.
As the second verse continues, we see an even greater example of that full surrender.
“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
Jesus take the wheel”
How many of us today would honestly say we’re in a season of autopilot? Maybe 2018 has been a “long hard year.” Maybe you’re running low on faith and gasoline among other things, like hope, energy, joy, and Jesus.
Maybe you’re one of many who finds themselves in a place today where you need to throw your hands in the air and simply say, Jesus, take the wheel.
I encourage you, whether it’s praying the serenity prayer, or singing along to Carrie Underwood’s, “Jesus Take the Wheel,” there is no better day to surrender your life, and your problems to the Lord.
Jesus, take the wheel.
