Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing” (1 Peter 3:9, NLT).

     In their book The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath describe an experiment in which participants underwent three painful trials. In the first, they submerged a hand for sixty seconds in a bucket filled with frigid, 57-degree water.

Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus responded, “Go, report to John what you hear and see. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them. Happy are those who don’t stumble and fall because of me” (Matthew 11:2-6, CEB).

 The article read:

Police in California were understandably perplexed when they pulled over a Waymo taxi after it made an illegal U-turn, only to find no driver behind the wheel and therefore, no one to ticket (AP).

The San Bruno Police Department wrote in a social media post that officers were conducting a DUI operation early Saturday morning when a self-driving Waymo made an illegal turn in front of them. “That’s right,” the report concluded. “No driver, no hands, no clue.”

     The ghost driver turned out to be a Waymo self-navigating vehicle. A spokesperson from the company later informed the police that the car had encountered a glitch in its computer system and that an adjustment would deter future illegal movements. As it turns out, someone in the programming department had fallen asleep at the wheel.

     Falling asleep at the wheel is an idiomatic way of saying that someone is not paying attention or is not focused on what they are doing. With so many demands assailing our minds every day, it is surprising that we’re not more distracted than we are. Such is the reality of the human condition.

     Yet what about God? How often have you wondered whether God has fallen asleep at the wheel while your life is seemingly careening off the road? Surely, the One whom the Scriptures declare to be omniscient would not have His attention dissuaded away from our problems.

     John the Baptist had his doubts as to whether Jesus’ attention was diverted from John’s concerns. Things were not going well for John at the time. John was in prison and eventually would receive a death sentence. John couldn’t understand why Jesus wouldn’t bust him out of jail.

     Jesus’ reply didn’t offer John much encouragement. Jesus appeared to be telling John that he was aware of John’s circumstances but was choosing not to change them. Instead, Jesus delivers a hard truth. Sometimes God allows difficult things to happen, but we should not abandon our faith.       

     There are seasons of life when it appears that God isn’t working in our lives. Our troubles begin to impact our confidence in God. We doubt that He loves us or if He cares about us. Our pain begins to distort reality, and we think that God isn’t paying attention.

     However, just because God is silent doesn’t mean He is absent. It is vital to remember that your troubles are not a reflection of God’s feelings for you. The love that Jesus showed for you on the cross serves as a certain reminder of God’s love for you. This broken world will have its share of sorrows and difficulties. Yet trusting that Jesus is closer than we recognize provides for each of us the confidence and courage we need to forge ahead.

     So, don’t let the eyes of your heart deceive you. Just because you cannot see who is sitting in the driver’s seat doesn’t mean that God is asleep at the wheel.

Now when John heard in prison about the things the Christ was doing, he sent word by his disciples to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus responded, “Go, report to John what you hear and see. Those who were blind are able to see. Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them. Happy are those who don’t stumble and fall because of me” (Matthew 11:2-6, CEB).