I am not a pilot. I am, on occasion, a passenger on a commercial airline. This requires faith. Statistics prove that flying is the safest way to travel. Because I am not a pilot, I place no faith in statistics.
I trust the pilot. Because before every flight, the pilot does a “walk around”, an inspection of the aircraft we call, “pre-flight”.
Someone smarter than me pointed out that the pilot wants to live too. And since they are the first ones on the plane, and often the last ones off, it makes sense for them to pay attention to the pre-flight inspection. As a passenger, I sometimes can see a pilot doing his “walk around”, but I am not allowed nor needed for that process.
This is where faith comes in, for even if I were given access to the pre-flight, I would not know what to look for, or what I was looking at. That is what the pilot does, they are responsible for the plane before any passenger boards, and it is their responsibility to make sure things get fixed before the plane departs for its destination. Anything that could go wrong, a pilot must be prepared and confident they can overcome.
God is the pilot. He is not my co-pilot, he is THE pilot. He is responsible for every pre-flight inspection of every vehicle He puts me in to take from one place to the next. This too requires faith. Sometimes even more than getting on a commercial jet. We never seem to catch God doing His pre-flight, so we struggle sometimes trusting Him.
God has already done his “walk around” of the circumstances of our lives. He knows what each piece is supposed to look like, how they fit together, and how to spot potential problems. He also knows He can and will overcome anything that will go wrong. He determines that before we are allowed on board.
He can identify leaks, obstructions, signs of fatigue, or misalignment of parts prior to takeoff. He knows what He is looking at, and He knows what He is looking for. Too often we insist on doing our own “walk around” before we agree to get on board with Him. As if we know anything about the intricacies of the vessel He has chosen for us.
Because we are not pilots, we misinterpret minor things and overlook major defects. If it looks okay to us, feels secure to us, or seems to be working properly to us, we declare the vehicle, the process, the method, the season…safe for travel.
But God knows better. He will let us board and then have us wait on the tarmac, until the vessel is repaired, or we realize it isn’t taking us anywhere and we “de-plane” and get on another one…a better one, the right one.
When God puts us on board, know that He has already done a pre-flight inspection, and that He will pilot us safely to our next destination. He earns His wings every day, and He never takes a day off.
Through turbulence, wind, rain, or ice, He can overcome any condition life brings because He has declared our transport capable and worthy. He is our pilot, get on board and let Him direct the plane, from pre-flight to takeoff, to in-flight, to landing.
God is my pilot. Who is flying your plane?
Everyday God... 