LANDING IN A FOG

 

Friday, February 3, 2023

 

LANDING IN A FOG

 

Ps 4:5

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

 

          The word “trust” appears 134 times in the King James Version of the Bible. In the verse above it means “to hide for refuge.” Merriam-Webster defines the word as: “the assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or something.” I trust we have a firm grasp on the meaning.

 

          I remember landing in Dallas in a very thick fog. The pilot announced that the weather had “deteriorated rapidly” and that we would be making a category two or category three landing. For this reason all electronic devices must be turned off. It would be an instrument landing because the pilot could not see!

 

          In a thick fog, the pilot must trust his equipment. If he insists on flying “by the seat of his pants” he will certainly burn a hole in them. The passengers grew restless as we made our final approach and began our descent. I am a wing watcher and prefer a window seat, but I could not see the lights of Dallas. This was not good!

 

          I watched the wing all the way down and did not see lights until I finally saw the runway lights moments before the tires touched down. A bit of a cross wind caused us to shift sideways a bit but otherwise it was a perfect landing. Once on the ground we could see just how dense the fog really was.

 

          On the way out, I complimented the pilot on a smooth landing, and he said: “Thank you but the airplane does a wonderful job all by itself.” He had come to trust his plane and its systems which worked flawlessly.

 

          When I boarded that plane, I had placed my whole self in the hands of a stranger who piloted a baffling jumble of technology. I realized that I had come to trust that system so completely that I committed my life to its safety. What would have happened if, because of my concern, I had rushed the cockpit and tried to help the pilot land the plane? That is what we do when we fail to trust in God.

 

          A few years ago, one could see bumper stickers that read: “God is my Copilot.” I’m afraid that is a fitting description of our lack of trust. We need to trust God to land us safely in the soup.

 

Dear Lord, let me rely firmly upon your abilities. Help me to trust you more. AMEN