“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
—ROMANS 11:36

When I was growing up, we took our fair share of family road trips. My dad was usually the one driving. Now, I trusted my dad, but his driving could be . . . interesting. Still, I wasn’t sitting in the back seat worrying about whether we were going to make it. I trusted him. I didn’t know the directions. I wasn’t checking the map. I was a child in the car with my father, and as far as I was concerned, he was going to get us where we were going.

I’ve been thinking about that lately because life has felt a little like one of those road trips. There are things I don’t know. Things I’m praying about. Things I would love for God to go ahead and give me an answer about. Things concerning my children, my work, my dreams, what comes next. Maybe you have a few of those things too.

When we don’t know what’s coming, it is easy to start trying to figure everything out. Running through the possibilities, trying our best to prepare, making plans and backup plans for the plans because, well, you never know. I am an advocate for planning ahead and being prepared, but I also know that preparation can only take us so far. At some point, we have to just trust God.

Romans 11:36 says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

All things. The things we understand and the things we don’t. The things we planned for and the things we never saw coming. The prayers God has answered and the ones we’re still waiting on. They are all in His hands. That gives me the comfort I need to sit in the back seat and allow God to drive. If I could trust my earthly father to get our family where we were going, how much more can I trust my heavenly Father?

Now that doesn’t mean that I never wonder about what’s ahead. Sometimes I have to remind myself of what I know. God has taken care of me before. God is taking care of me now, and He will take care of me in the future. He is not short on resources, nor is He trying to figure out what to do next. He is in control.

So maybe, what we need today is not another answer. Maybe we need to sit with the reminder that we can trust the One who already has the answer. Of course, you should pray, prepare and steward well what God has given you to do today. Then sit back and remember that you’re riding with your Father.