BY JESSICA LANDMON
On a recent trip to Florida, I experienced unexpected flight delays during my layover. After several hours of waiting… and waiting… we finally took off. Unfortunately, a dense fog settled in on the airport I was flying into, forcing us to abort the landing and return to our departure airport.
Twelve hours later, I was back at the airport trying to give it another go. Once again, fog had settled in. It was gray and dismal out, and visibility was extremely poor. As I sat on the runway looking at the current conditions, I began to doubt that we would ever take off.
After sitting on the plane for nearly an hour, I was surprised when the pilot said we were all clear for takeoff. How could that be? The fog was so dense that I literally couldn’t see 20 feet outside of my airplane window. How would the pilot be even able to pull away from the gate safely? But off we went!
As we made our bumpy ascent, I began questioning why we even attempted to try this flight again. Darkness surrounded our plane, and the wings were swinging from side to side. After one final push and a couple more bouts of turbulence, we finally broke through the fog. And to my utter surprise, the most beautiful blue skies and clear visibility were at hand. And that’s when the Lord began to speak to my heart.
So often we have our eyes set on a destination – one that we truly feel God has directed us to – and we encounter one obstacle after another. The path that once seemed clear and defined now seems dark and impossible. We begin to question if this is the direction we are supposed to head. We wonder, did we hear God wrong? Did we misunderstand? That, my friend, is the enemy’s plan.
The devil wants to challenge you every step of the way when you step out in obedience to a new Divine assignment. He wants you to rely on what you see in the natural, rather than trust that God has something amazing in store for you if you are bold enough to just push through the fog – or in our case, the obstacles and uncertainty.
We should model our faith life after that of a pilot. Pilots make decisions not on what they see in the natural, but on what their equipment and instrumentation tell them. As was the case with my flight, what we saw in the natural said don’t take off. But, my pilot’s instrumentation told him that, once we were in the air, the flight would be a smooth one. And it was.
We need to remember this as we navigate the steps in front of us. What we see in the natural is often different from what God sees. Your current situation may appear hopeless, desperate, and filled with obstacles, but ask the Lord what He sees.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
God sees the bigger picture – one filled with hope and purpose. How disheartening would it be if you stayed at your current position, never moving on and embracing God’s blessings and plans for your life? It’s important to remind yourself that, even in the darkest moments, God has a greater plan at work. We simply need to trust Him!
Sweet friend, stop limiting God. Stop making decisions based on what you see. Stop assuming things won’t change. I encourage you to take your eyes off whatever situation is clouding your judgment right now. If the Lord says all clear for takeoff, then trust Him in faith – trust that even though you can’t see it, the sun is shining bright above those clouds.