Seeing Me Safely Home

 

A group of travelers were on an airplane as it went through a violent storm. The plane was rocking and shaking, raising, and dropping, and the passengers were becoming increasingly disturbed. Among them was a preacher. This “man of God” who was expected to be a rock of stability and example of calm was becoming restlessly afraid himself. What words of strength could he offer to his fellow travelers in the midst of this danger and frightful situation? None, for he was too scared himself. The preacher noticed a young boy across the aisle sitting calmly in his seat, seemingly unbothered by the terrible storm. He asked, “Young man, are you not scared in this storm?” The boy answered, “Oh, I’m not afraid at all.” The preacher pondered his statement and decided to ask, “Well, why is it that your not afraid?” The boy looked at the preacher and said, “My father is the pilot of this plane and he promised to get me safely home. So, I’m not worried, because I know he will take care of me.” Do you trust that your Heavenly Father is caring for you?

A man and his son walked across a long narrow bridge. It spanned a broad river and the boy said, “Daddy, I’m afraid. Do you see all that water down there?” The father took note of his son’s concern and said, “Give me your hand, son.” The moment the boy felt his father’s hand, he was no longer afraid. In the evening on their trek home, they had to cross the bridge again only this time it was pitch dark. “Now I’m more afraid than this morning!” the boy cried out. The father took the boy in his arms, and while carrying him across the bridge the boy fell asleep, exhausted from the long day of adventure, to awaken the next day in his own bed. Is this what it’s like for the believing, faithful Christian, when death overtakes them? One falls asleep and wakes up at Home. Something to think about.

[Psalm 19] Perhaps at some time in your life you stopped to admire a sunset – all the wonderful colors glossing into a farewell for the day; Venus begins shining brightly in the evening sky, almost calling to the other lesser lights. Or perhaps there was a time when you stood at the edge of a lake as morning was just beginning to break – there was a faint mist rising from the ground and water that gave everything a slightly ethereal look; the sound of birds beginning to sing and the odd animal moving through the underbrush or splash­ing in the water. In either of these scenar­ios a believer is awe-struck at the beauty given by God, and more so the fact that some people just cannot see the hand of God moving in this world. Perhaps there was a time in your life when you knew there was going to be a difficult road ahead, something you knew had to be done but you didn’t want to do it; but then, your mind went back to Jesus in the Garden and you read one of the accounts in the Gospels … your eyes lingering on the words, “Not my will, by Thy will be done.” Maybe there was a time when you stood by an open grave and someone in a dark suit began to read a passage that was all too familiar at a time like this; your eyes be­ginning to burn with tears as the words mingle with the smell of flowers and fresh earth, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want …” The natural world screams in its beauty and complexity, “God made me! I am a witness to the greatness of the Lord!” The Scriptures witness to the awesome fact that God loves us enough to leave a mes­sage that would guide and enlighten all His children. (2 Timothy 1:12; 1 Peter 5:6-7; Hebrews 13:5-6; Psalm 46:1-2) You and I may confront many storms in life. Sometimes the violent crashes fall all around us, and we’ll be tempted to be afraid. But we must remember, as Christians, that during our pilgrimage through this world, our Father is in charge. He is taking care of us. He is watching over us, and He will see us safely home! All Aboard!