“Is prayer your steering wheel, or your spare tire?”

Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who survived the Holocaust. She and her family saved many Jewish people from the Nazis by hiding them in their home. Arrested and placed in a concentration camp, Corrie never stopped trusting God and sharing His love while imprisoned during this horrific time in history. This famous quote from her is just as relevant to us today as was then. 

So, I ask myself, am I using prayer as my steering wheel to guide my daily directions and decisions? Am I guilty of only calling upon God to fix things as I would do with a spare tire upon having a flat? 

1 Chronicles 16:11 tells us we should, “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” 

Do we seek His face always, or just when we are made aware of our needs? Seek Him in every moment of every day. 

We are to praise Him for the things He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. God doesn’t want us to just pray when we are in need or searching for answers. His will is for us to walk and talk with Him throughout our day just as we would a friend. In doing this we will be able to feel His love surround us. I know I can tell a difference in my day and my attitude when I stay in close contact with Him.

FB Myer once said, “The greatest tragedy is not unanswered prayer, but the unoffered prayer.”

We never know when, where or why a flat might enter into our life. Beginning our day in prayer, we can know that when we are faced with a flat (because we will always have them) which may come in the form of news of a loved one passing, medical crisis, wayward child, finically difficulties, whatever may come our way, giving God total control of the steering wheel, will leave us better equipped to handle the flats as they occur. 

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 NIV