Letting God take the wheel

The word of God can breathe new life into us. Many of us have heard these words countless times. Both the first reading, and the Gospel reading for this Sunday speak to this gift from God. In the first reading, Elijah is in the midst of a drought and staying with the widow of Zarephath and her dying son. When her son dies Elijah calls out to God and asks “O LORD, my God, will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying by killing her son?” (1 Kings 17:20). He then calls out to God three times and is finally heard; God then breathes life back into the boy. The Gospel reading is similar, Jesus meets the widow in Nain. Jesus sees a funeral procession and tells the widow to not weep, he then called upon the dead man to rise. Much to everyone’s surprise, the man arose and the crowd realized Jesus was a great prophet.

These two readings deal with God’s messengers coming into people’s lives at times of great sorrow and turmoil. The widow of Zarephath was a destitute woman with a dying son, all while enduring a drought. The widow of Nain was at the beginning of coming to terms with losing her son. These passages give me comfort because the reveal that even in the depth of despair and disillusionment, God’s message (if heeded) will prevail.

In my experience, I have found that letting God take the wheel (so to speak), is often the safest bet. Recently I saw a meme that said “Do you want what is good now, or God’s best later?” Often in today’s world, we face a multitude of crisis’s daily, weekly, and yearly. We are connected in ways that past generations could not have imagined. It is easy to get lost in this cacophony of messages and lose sight of God’s message. People tend to say that the first few times you return to working out are the hardest. Restarting in this world of distractions is difficult. The same is true with renewing your relationship with God. You have to face some hard truths, but at least you come away feeling clean and loved.

Continuing your relationship with God, and making time for him, can be difficult but it will renew your life. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time is all that it takes for your life to change. We do not know the plans God has for us, but ensuring that we have a relationship with Him and believing in his guiding power will lead us to a new life. I alluded to my experience earlier, and I will share that in times that I have tried my hardest to control situations things have not gone according to plan. But the times that I was open to the spirit and allowing for God’s timing, I have experienced wondrous things. God’s renewing spirit would not have worked in these two widow’s lives had they not believed and been open to His plan.