As I write this, I am on my return from a recent mission trip overseas. Our pilot warned us that we would encounter rough air and turbulence about halfway through our trip home. It’s been my experience that the air over the Pacific Ocean can be more than contrary at times. As is usually the case, our pilot has proven to be right. My sleep has been disturbed by a shaking and rattling, along with a call from the purser to fasten our seatbelts. I wouldn’t say it’s the worst turbulence I’ve flown through, but it’s close enough. It has awakened me and certainly has my attention. I’m not frightened. I’ve encountered this before. And I did what I always do in this situation. I began to pray. As we navigated through the first of several encounters, praying was my only resource. But it was enough.
I prayed for safety. Obviously. I asked the Lord to calm the rough air, to equip our pilot and to bring us through this uncomfortable, if not frightening leg of the flight. I also prayed for my family, not because I feared the worse, but because I don’t know what God has in store. I want to rest in the assurance that He is in control, and that whatever He wills is what is best. I prayed that whatever happens, He will continue to lead them, bless them, and use them for His glory.
This is exactly what I did a few years back when our plane kept circling a small island in southeast Asia, pulling up after its approach for three consecutive attempted landings. We were given no explanation, and the passengers on the plane became eerily quiet. Was it the landing gear? Was the runway blocked? Was the wind off the ocean too strong? Thankfully on the fourth try, we had an uneventful landing.
It’s in times like these that we are called upon to trust the Lord completely. When you’re in the air, unless you’re the pilot, everything is beyond your control. And while I’m sure we have a competent pilot, even he is subject to the will and forces of the Creator. And these circumstances aren’t limited to being in an airplane flying 35,000 above the earth. They are the same when any event beyond our control comes into our lives, whether it be the incurable illness of a loved one, the loss of a job, severe weather such as heavy thunderstorms, tornadoes, or hurricanes, or simply growing older, with the challenges it brings. These things move us beyond our comfort zone and require us to look to Him for comfort. These are the times we truly realize that we are helpless.
If we believe that God is sovereign, that he is aware of and in control of every aspect of our lives, we have no alternative but to trust Him completely. And we need no other alternative. If He is not in control, then things are hopeless anyway. Does this mean we’re always fearless? No. We’re human and fear is a natural response. But as believers, we hold that fear captive to the power and grace of a loving God who does what is best for his children, for His glory and for our good.
Did I wish that shaking on this plane would stop? Of course. I prayed to that end. And the fact that you’re reading this is evidence that our Lord returned all of us safely home. I trust that will be the case in all situations. And trust is all we have. But it is sufficient because He is sufficient. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing unnerves Him. Nothing overwhelms Him. He is in perfect control. His protection is perfect. His peace is perfect. He is perfect.
May our Lord bless and keep you.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety” (Psalms 4:8 NASB)
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