KEEP IT SIMPLE

I’ll never forget the first time my Dad let me drive. I was 15 at the time, so you know it was a pretty big deal. He climbed into the seat of his blue Cutlass Supreme and pulled me atop his lap. He placed my hands on the steering wheel and revved the car to life. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t tell the brake pedal from the windshield wipers. It didn’t matter that we weren’t driving at Nascar speeds. It didn’t even matter that we only drove around the parking lot. All that mattered was that at that moment, I was in my daddy’s lap, with my hands on the wheel, and him at the helm. In every sense of the word, I was driving my daddy’s car. Was I thinking we would crash into a pole? No. Did I think we would drive off the road and land in an embankment? Hardly. My daddy was an experienced driver and he knew how to navigate the road. My daddy was the ultimate GPS, so there was no need for worry, fear or doubt to seep in. My daddy had it covered. The same perspective is true with prayer.

When we pray, we should petition our Father in heaven, not in a spirit of fear, trepidation or doubt, but one of confidence and anticipation. When we make our requests known to the Father, we ought to step boldly to the throne of grace and provision. We ought to know that with our heavenly Father, the Alpha and the Omega, at the helm, there’s nothing we have to fear or worry about. All we need do is climb into our daddy’s lap; place our hands on the steering and allow Him to navigate us through the mountains, valleys and dirt roads in life. With our Father orchestrating our steps and directing our lives, we can rest assured that He is well able to handle the potholes, hard turns and unexpected speed bumps that show up at various seasons. Whether we’re asking God to get us through unexpected disease, job loss, depression or divorce, God is well able to steer us through treacherous territories. Prayer is the simple practice of climbing into the Father’s lap, allowing Him to take the wheel and trust Him to lead the way. Prayer is that simple.

It isn’t lengthy. It isn’t muddled with collegiate acronyms, quirky catch phrases or perfect diction. Prayer is simply verbalizing your needs and trusting that the author and finisher of your faith will meet them. Much like the goal of every Sikh is to build a close and loving relationship with God, the same applies to the believer’s prayer. Prayer speaks to our trust in the Father and strengthens our relationship with Him. It allows us to open our hearts to Him in a manner that acknowledges his Lordship in our lives. Prayer relinquishes the believer’s right to steer themselves. It reminds us to daily pray: Lord, please take the wheel.

©2010-2013 Minister Claretta Taylor Pam, Global Ecumenical Ministries Inc. and Universal Life Church Monastery of Massachusetts. All Rights Reserved