GOD TAKE THE LEAD- OziomaChi
Oftentimes, God shows up at that point of utter hopelessness, defenselessness and rejection, abandonment, or even disappointment, especially when one allows God to take the lead.
In my book Adversity Demystified published in 2016, it was established that adversities have multidimensional ways of pushing us to the edge, to moments of absolute disorientation, disenchantment orchestrating utter dissipation; strength fails, plans collapse, and control slips through our fingers. It is in such fragile moments of palpable danger, hopelessness that an appeal or resignation to divine intervention becomes not just a possibility but a necessity.
In her song “Jesus Take The Wheel,” Carrie Underwood told a thus; it was last Friday, on a snow-white Christmas Eve. A young woman was driving her way to Cincinnati, heading home to see her mother and father. Her baby lay quietly in the backseat. The journey had been long, and the year even longer, filled with struggles, silent battles, and burdens too heavy to explain. With just fifty miles left to go, she found herself running low, very low on gasoline, and even lower on faith. Her mind was crowded with worries, regrets, and unanswered questions. Distracted and overwhelmed, she pressed the accelerator a little too hard.
Then, suddenly, it happened.The car lost control. On a thin black sheet of ice, the vehicle began to spin violently. In that split second, she saw flashes of her life, her past, her child, her fears, all colliding at once. There was no time to think, no time to scream, not even time to cry. Out of sheer desperation, she threw her hands into the air and cried: “Jesus, take the wheel! Take it from my hands, Cause I can’t do this on my own…”
It was a cry, not rehearsed, but real. A surrender, not planned, but pure. Moments later, something extraordinary happened. The spinning slowed. The car drifted gently to the shoulder. It came to a complete stop. Silence. The cold air lingered, but danger had passed. With trembling hands, she turned around and looked at her baby in the backseat, sleeping peacefully, untouched, as though nothing had happened. Tears rolled down her cheeks, not of fear this time, but of gratitude. For the first time in a long time, she bowed her head to pray. ” Lord, I’m sorry for the way I’ve been living my life. I know I need to change. From this moment, from tonight… take control.”
Again, her voice whispered:
“Jesus, take the wheel… Take it from my hands… Cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go… Give me one more chance…”
That moment marked a turning point, not just in her journey but in her life. This story is more than an account of survival; it is a revelation. It reminds us that many times, we only call on God when we lose control. Yet, God does not wait for perfection. He shows up and responds to our surrender. Yieldedness!
Too often, we insist on driving our own lives. We hold tightly to the wheel, trusting our instincts, our plans, and our strength. But life’s unexpected twists and turns. Simply inexplicable barrages of adversities, as exemplified on that icy road, remind us of how limited we truly are. When God takes the lead, fear gives way to peace. Chaos gives way to order. The spiralling waves of adversities are stilled. Despair gives way to hope.
Surrendering and letting God take the lead is not weakness; it is wisdom. It is the conscious decision to let God direct, guide, and sustain us, even when we do not understand the road ahead.
The truth is simple: God does not force His way into our lives. He waits for us to hand over, yield, or release the control buttons or to trust Him completely.
And when we do, He shows up, right on time.
So, whatever road of adversity you are travelling on right now or whatever burden you carry, bereaved and in anguish like me right now having just lost my dear wife Chiamaka to the cold hands of death. Just no matter whatever storms that surround you. Remember this:
You do not have to do it alone. Simply let go!
Trust God! And let Him take the lead.
Hon. Ibekwe Nnamdi Chimdi-FCIMS. FNIS.
Lawmaker representing Bende North Constituency Abia