From the Pastors Pen
A journey to remember
On June 12th we left for the USA and everything that God had in store for us over there the moment we got to the check in desk we should have wondered about what would happen next as the first thing the lady said was that the flight was delayed by 30 minutes. Any concern we had was allayed by the fact that we had built in a cushion of 3 hours at New York before the next flight, the first six and a half hour flight was great we had booked great seats and plenty of legroom,
We duly arrived and had even made up some of the delay time in the journey so we made our way through security and on to the next flight. What a great day we thought as we sat drinking a Starbucks coffee looking out over the New York skyline, we were called to the next flight a few minutes early and we would soon be in Pittsburgh after all it's only a 90 minute flight!!!
As soon as we were on the aeroplane (A small 30 seater) the pilot came over the P.A and told us that due to some bad weather we would be delayed for a few minutes that few minutes turned out to be 3 hours of sitting there in this small space sweating (well I was sweating Miriam was just glowing) then all of a sudden the pilot declared that we had a chance to take off and get on with the flight, Great we thought nothing could be better news than to know that our imprisonment in this small tube with wings would finally be over, as we sped down the runway we both looked forward to this short flight that would bring us to our final destination. We climbed into the air and within minuets the steward was bringing around his little trolley with free drinks. Nothing could be better or so we thought. Just after Miriam and I received our drinks the steward rushed to the front of the airplane sat down and buckled up Oh No I thought we are in for some turbulence, within the next few minutes our world was plunged into semi darkness as the plain was swallowed by a massive thunder cloud, the pilot told everyone to make sure they had their seat belts fastened and then it struck. Instead of the nice calm flight that we had been enjoying a few minutes ago we were being thrown up, down, left, right one minute we were climbing the next diving the whole plain shook and we didn't know whether we were the right way up or upside down. Miriam held my hand with fright her fingers tightened around mine in an endeavour to as it seemed hold on.
As the storm intensified 10 minutes passed and still no let up 15, 20, then, as soon as it had started we burst out into bright sunlight and smooth flight as though the last 20 minutes had never happened.
I learned a valuable lesson there in that small tube they called a airplane.
Life can sometime be like that, everything seems to be going great and hunky-dory it seems that we could want for nothing as we travel though life at what seems to be 200 miles an hour "The sun is out the sky is blue there's not a cloud to spoil the View"(make a good line for a song that) but then just when you don't expect it a curve in the road of our life comes and we are going to fast to take it, before we know it instead of the smooth ride we were getting and enjoying just a day or even an hour ago it seems that our whole world has come crashing down around us with darkness everywhere we look, we struggle to gain control, only to become more deeply enmeshed in the sliding bump filled mess that we find our selves until it seems that we will never make it through.
In the Bible in Jeremiah 33:3 God says God says "Call unto me and I will answer you"
Let me ask you today, Who do you have to hold onto, to call out to, to trust in, when the storms of life blow? Peter in 1 Peter 5 :7 says Cast all your anxiety on Him (Jesus) because he cares for you..
David in Psalm 55: 22 Says "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall".
The great news is this that no matter what we go through in life or whatever curves turn up Jesus will be there with us.
Some think that when you become a follower of Jesus that everything will be ok. well speaking about eternity "ok" is the right word but while we live in this world we will experience all the things that everybody else does, serving Jesus is not a get out of jail free card.
But it is great to know that what ever happens we will not go through it alone Jesus promise is that He will be with us and at some point we will clear the storm and come through into the sunshine of God.