“This is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard. Our flight today will reach a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet. The weather looks good and we should arrive at our destination in approximately one hour and 20 minutes. Until then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.”
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight? I had not flown since January 1999, more than 16 years ago. In 16 years, there were many negative airline incident reports. My trust had been destroyed, replaced by fear.
For the next 80 minutes, my life would be guided by the hands of a captain I did not know, nor knew me. Dependent on his skill and wisdom, there was nothing I could do in my own strength. I felt helpless. Fear gripped my soul. Seat-belted in, feeling trapped at 33,000 feet in the air, I breathed a prayer.
“Heavenly Father, help me.”
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV).
Have you ever felt there was nothing you could do in your own strength, helpless? Gripped by fear, or trapped?
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3).
Prayer has no limit. We can pray morning, noon, or night, silently from the heart, whispered, spoken aloud, or from any location. It has the ability to defeat fearful thoughts, and transform them into moments of strength, wisdom, peace, and hope.
David, fearful and running from Saul, took refuge and fled to Cave Adullam. According to Thompson’s Chain Reference Bible, “there was a strange, secluded wildness about the place.”
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalm 57:1).
Jonah prayed with seaweed wrapped around his head (Jonah 2:5) out of the belly of a whale:
“I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me” (Jonah 2:2).
Peter prayed on a housetop:
“Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour” (Acts 10:9).
Hannah prayed for a child and our Heavenly Father gave her a son:
“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life… ” (1 Samuel 1:11).
King Hezekiah prayed to be healed:
“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5).
Jesus whipped, beaten, pierced, and nailed to the cross prayed for His persecutors:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Today, if you are you feeling helpless, gripped by fear, or trapped, you and I have a Captain who wants to guide our life. A Captain who knows us, and One we can trust. One who invites us to pray, with the promise that our prayer will be heard.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land.” We were arriving at our destination 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. Fear before prayer had almost denied me the joy of a relaxing flight.
Prior to deplaning, I had the opportunity to speak with and compliment the captain. He had over 35 years flying experience. My life had been in capable hands.
We too are in capable hands. Our Captain has been guiding lives eternally.
“Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2).
Heavenly Father, every day, in every situation, or circumstance of our lives, may we always remember Your invitation to pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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