Author: Michael J McCluskey

Mark 1:35 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

I was a truck driver, and this verse about Jesus where “he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:16), is just what I would routinely do. I know that my life is ultimately in God’s hands and that my trust is in the Lord, not in my driving ability. Of course, I do watch out for the other drivers, but I also know that God is watching out over me and that gives me peace of mind. Even so, I pray before I hit the road and put my life in God’s hands, and there is no surer place to be. (John 10:28-29).

Psalm 4:8 “In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Many truck drivers have a cabin where they are able to sleep in their own truck, but that doesn’t mean they can sleep as well as they do at home. For some, yes, but for others, it’s hard to sleep when you’re not in your own bed, just as it’s hard for us to sleep in a place that’s not home. For the men and women on the road, they know that God “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2b) and those who trust in God sleep more peacefully because God makes them “dwell in safety.”

John 17:15 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

Unfortunately, there is a lot of “road rage” going on out there on the highways and byways, and it’s not typically truckers who are enraged. Truck drivers are professionals, and they are among the best drivers on the road, and they deserve our respect, so why not give them a break. Don’t tailgate them, because if you do, you’re in their “blind spot,” and they’re not responsible for what they cannot see.

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him.”

Truck drivers often have to watch out for other drivers rather than the other way around, because they have much more experience driving than the great majority of us, so we need to show them common courtesy and give them the respect they deserve. It’s not easy being a truck driver, being alone for so long and away from home, and possibly separated from their families for long stretches of time. That’s why Christian truck drivers trust in Him because He is their shield and strength.

Second Timothy 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Have you ever seen a truck driver who has blown a tire? These tires just come apart on the road, but somehow, the truckers are able to keep these big rigs on the road and bring them safely to a stop. If you see one stopped by the highway, give them the right lane as a common courtesy, but more so, for their and your own personal safety. God is the One Who they depend upon to bring them “safely into his heavenly kingdom” or bring them safely home. God is their Rock and upon Him, they depend to be delivered “from every evil deed,” even if it’s dangerous drivers that they encounter.

Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Who is better at obeying the traffic laws than truck drivers? The overwhelming majority of truck drivers obey the speed limits and are safer drivers than most. Not just because they have a much larger load, which makes it harder to slow down in an emergency situation, but they know that it’s in their best interest to obey the laws of the land. Not only that, they (and we) are commanded to be subject to those who are in authority, because law enforcement is given authority by God and these officials “have been instituted by God.’

Proverbs 22:3 “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

Truck drivers are not only good at keeping their eyes on the road, but they are also prudent and often look ahead to see any potential dangers that are ahead of them. They’ve learned from experience to expect the unexpected and to not take for granted that every driver is going to be safe out there. They know that danger lurks around every corner and so they plan ahead to expect the unexpected, “but the simple go on and suffer for it.” If you know a truck driver, tell him or her that you respect what they do for a living because much of the commerce of this nation depends on them getting to where they’re going and making it there in one piece.

Conclusion

I am a former truck driver, and I think of this verse from 2nd Kings 9:20 which says, “Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.” I know I am an excellent driver who my fiance trusts. She could sleep with me behind the wheel because she knows I’ve been through a lot. Truck Drivers move goods and services throughout the nation, and the economy depends a lot on them. Thank God for these men and women who truck on down the road, because much of the foods and products you have at home were delivered by them. They need our prayers and respect, and that’s just what we ought to give them. While driving over the road I have had a few very close calls, so to speak, and these have reminded me of the reason I pray before I get out of bed and hit the road.

We start every morning without committing a sin, then we wake up for the day. For some of us, it may take a little longer for us to sin in the morning or during the day. However, others sin right out of the gate at the alarm clock or in a bed that they don’t belong in. Therefore my point is we sin even if we don’t do it intentionally.

Sometimes it is hard to find the time to ask for forgiveness of that sin in our everyday lives moving so fast. My question to you is can you spare 21 seconds of each day? If your answer is no, then we have got a whole lot of different issues there that I am not qualified to talk about. If you are not sure, do you have time to make a cup of coffee? Can you multi-task while you are making a cup of coffee? Making a cup of coffee can take 30-60 seconds. If you can multi-task you have found your 21 seconds.

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)—9 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

We all recognize the passage as The Lord’s Prayer or The Disciples Prayer or even the Catholics calling it “Our Father Prayer.” It does it matter what you call it. As Keith Nix said preaching this morning, is a model prayer and the model of prayer. What we miss about this prayer it takes only 21 seconds to say it, making a cup of coffee.

Dr. Mark Rutland in his book “21 seconds to change your world,” talks about how his life was changed by Our Father and Psalms 23 both used as prayers. He used them in his brightest hour and darkest moments. Most importantly it was about finding God’s healing and abundance through prayer as the front cover states.

I read the book and am currently rereading it with a different look. The first pages of the book hit me hard because of the state my life was in at the time of reading it. However, I pushed through the book no matter how hard it was to read. At the end of this book, I decided to test the 21 seconds out myself. The results are rather profound with the change in my attitude towards life, people, and work. Not to mention that I am on the road to recovery from depression myself because of the map that Dr. Rutland provided. “21 seconds to change your world,” is working right now in my life and highly recommend the read of this book.

References:
Dr. Mark Rutland, 21 Seconds To Change Your World, Published by Bethany House.