I was watching these rally race drivers who were speeding around dirt tracks at more than 100 miles per hour. Two men were in the car, one was driving and the other was holding a book or piece of paper in his hand and quickly (almost inaudibly) saying something. If my husband didn’t explain the video to me, I would not have understood anything in that race. Eventually, in my unskilled layman’s way, not only did it make sense for the race but a sobering biblical revelation about obedience emerged.
My husband explained that those quick and inaudible words were directions and instructions. I need you to appreciate just how fast these cars were going and just how many twists and turns were on this track. So the passenger needed to clearly and accurately provide the instructions and the driver needed to intently listen and execute every instruction. The passenger is called a co-driver. “A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pace notes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity of the turn, and what obstacles to look out for).”
In one of the videos, the co-driver said left when he should have said right, and well, you can guess what happened. The car was airborne and flipping off the track. Luckily, (well intentionally) those cars have significant crash protection and both driver and co-driver were fine, but they did not win the race; in fact, they didn’t even finish.
Of course, the Holy Spirit can use rally racing to minister to me, just as he used that donkey with Balaam. God is more proficient than the co-driver in a rally car, HE never makes a mistake with His directions, they are always clear and accurate. I am more inclined to feel that it's mainly us who have a challenge with listening. Not merely hearing, but like the driver, intently listening for every command. We are on this earth as pilgrims, passing through for a time to do his bidding and listen carefully we must.
We are the driver, with the mandate to move and God through the Holy Spirit is the co-driver with the mandate to direct. We can’t take His role and He won’t take ours. We say or even sing ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’, but we must listen to His instructions while we operate this body He has given to us. Some have taken ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ so far that they refuse to turn on the car and move; they remain stuck waiting for Jesus to take this phantom wheel.
You get behind the wheel, turn on the engine, listen carefully for where He tells you to go…and go! We should also appreciate that when we get into our seasons of stubbornness, He will do whatever He must to get our attention and get us back on track.
The reason is simple, He alone knows the terrain. In the navigation test of rally car racing, the driver is not racing based on familiarity, he is racing solely based on instruction. The co-driver knows every turn and, every incline, and so He says “left turn”; “right turn”.
Isn’t that exactly what God says HE does for us? In Isaiah 30:21 the Bible says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” “Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”
Moreso, Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” How awesome it is to know that regardless of how rugged, winding, and dangerous this road of life may become, God sent His Holy Spirit to live in us, to be our Eternal Co-driver, guiding every step we take. He delights in our path, promising to take us through floods and fires, where we won’t drown or get burned.
The consequences of shutting him out and going our way will be much the same as the rally car racers. Listen clearly and intently to God’s directions through His Holy Spirit. The Bible says in John 16 that, “He will guide you into all truth” (emphasis mine). That guiding element positions us for victory in all aspects of life. It’s pointless to desire growth, victory, and elevation and you’re not prepared to take instructions. My Tobago clan will say, "You must learn to take telling!”
Let God guide and instruct you and in so doing you’ll participate in the victory HE promised here on earth and in eternity.
Love Ya!
Krystal Baynes-Hoseinee
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