I just got back from a trip to Nashville. I do not do a lot of flying and it always makes me a bit nervous. It also fills my mind with so many different things as I look out the window at the world in miniature and then, as we climb higher, to the beautiful, amazing scenery of clouds and sun. When we took off to come home yesterday the world below was rainy, gloomy, and overcast. But the flight schedule continued on time. As the plane climbed gradually higher I lost sight of the world below and was surrounded by only thick, gray clouds. I could not see anything but gray outside. It made a foggy day here on earth look like nothing. I pondered how in the world the pilot had any idea where he was going. But I was trusting that pilot to know where he was going. And, sure enough, after a few minutes, we climbed out of those gray, gloomy, incredibly thick clouds, through the atmosphere, to the sunshine above. Of course, after an hour or two above, we had to descend back down through those clouds, to the earth below as we arrived at Washington DC.
I think by now you may know where I am going with this. You know that famous saying “God is my co-pilot”? Well, I am here to tell you that God is my pilot. Don’t we all have times where we are in a thick fog in life? Surrounded by the unknown? Having no idea where the current circumstances are going to take us? I am so incredibly grateful that I can rely on my heavenly Father to know where He is taking me. He has a plan and I can safely rest in knowing that He is the one guiding me through the thick fog of life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is a very familiar passage, but consider this again with me:
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
I can rely on God to direct my paths and guide me. But there are conditions to this promise of guidance. I need to trust Him. I can’t try to figure out all the answers by myself. And I need to acknowledge Him, which means giving His desires for my life consideration in every area of life, instead of being so focused on what I want.
And, unbelievably–suddenly–He treats us to amazing glimpses of the sun, giving us moments of beauty and happiness. I am so thankful for those times. But I am also incredibly grateful for his guidance through the thick, gray clouds. What an amazing God we serve! That He would care for me–this tiny, minute speck of His creation–is truly mind-boggling.