This morning while I was driving to work, God brought an analogy to my mind from a past experience that I’d like to share. One leg of the journey during my trip to Ghana in the summer of 2008 required taking a small plane from Accra, the capital city in southern Ghana, to a small airport in the north, where my family and those we were travelling with stayed for several days. We also had to take a similar plane back to the international airport in Accra at the conclusion of the trip.
I am not adventurous – anyone who knows me at all would tell you that adventurous to me means bringing something different to eat for lunch! That’s pretty much as adventurous as I prefer to be. However, I felt led to go on the trip and was really looking forward to what I knew awaited us on the other side of that plane ride, despite my hesitations about the journey. In fact, riding in the approximately 40-passenger plane for about an hour (one way) was my biggest concern about the entire stay in Ghana.
When we walked out on the tarmac to board the plane under the scorching African sun, I felt nervous but kept uttering prayers and trying to reason with myself internally. The entire plane only had about 10 rows, with two seats on both sides and an aisle in between. Forty seats might sound like a lot, but when you sit four to a row with a small aisle down the middle, the plane shrinks pretty fast! I took a seat and honestly remember my heart leaping back and forth in my chest – no exaggeration.
Once we landed, I was amazed and very surprised at how smooth the ride was. I felt a huge sense of relief flow through my body and realized that the flight had not been nearly as difficult as I’d imagined in my active little mind. I had survived!!
After having such a surprisingly pleasant ride on the small plane, I wasn’t nearly as nervous to board a similar aircraft on the way back to Accra at the conclusion of our trip. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous at all, but I was much calmer the second time around.
However, ride #2 on the plane was FAR from calm. We experienced crazy turbulence – the plane was bobbing up and down and dipping during the entire ride! The flight attendants apologized in their thick accents over the dusty, old-fashioned PA system and said that they didn’t know why the air was so rough that day.
The coolest thing happened during that flight, though. Even though I was an adult, my dad jumped into the seat next to me and grabbed my hand. He prayed with me and then held my hand during the flight. He touched my hair and said soothing words to me, calming me down and reminding me of truth – we were loved, we were going to be okay, we would land soon. Even though I was a grown woman, my father’s sweet words and gestures reminded me of my neediness in so many areas. His care instantly calmed me.
Without speaking it out loud, his actions reminded me that I was his little girl and that I was precious to him. Even though my dad couldn’t cease the winds that tossed our little plane in the air, it was clear that he was willing to do anything in his power to protect me and make me feel safe.
My dad also told me that since we had begun planning the trip almost a year prior, he had been praying specifically for me and my comfort on the small airplane rides. He knew me – he knew my fears, and months before it happened, he knew that riding in those small planes would scare me. He said he had prayed that my fear of the transportation would not keep me from going on the trip and pursuing the amazing opportunity to go to Ghana.
You may be experiencing some major turbulence in your life right now. Maybe you feel like you are being forced to face a huge fear, as I did when I stepped onto the tarmac. Or maybe you feel a huge sense of dread in the pit of your stomach, just as I felt when the turbulence began.
If you are in a place like that now, I want to remind you that my dad painted a beautiful illustration of what your Heavenly Father is doing for you at this very second. He knows about the situation you are in, just like my father knew I would have to ride on those planes. Maybe He did not cause it directly, but He knew before time even began that you would be exactly where you are right now.
He wants to do anything in His power to ease your fear, to soothe you and most of all, to envelope you in His love. He knows you – He knows how you are feeling already, before you even utter a word or give him a thought.
Trust Him. Trust that His timing is perfect. God orchestrated the timing so that the first flight was the smooth one, relieving my anxiety and prompting me to be free of fear in the days before the second one. Just like He knew that I needed a smooth ride first, He knows what you need and is preparing you accordingly for what you will face in the future.
Trust that his actions are purposeful and that greater things are in store for you. I was terrified to get on that first small plane, but I knew that if I could just endure a one-hour flight, I had days of experiencing God with family and friends in Ghana waiting for me. Trust that He is not abandoning you, but instead wanting you to not abandon Him.
I encourage you to listen to Him. I am confident that He wants to speak to you – to be your comforter, to assure you of His plans. Just like my dad did not want fear of the plane rides to keep me from going to Ghana, God does not want your fears to keep you from pursuing the wonderful plans He has waiting for you on the other side of this trial.
I remember feeling surprised but so very comforted by my father’s actions and words. I was so moved that he had been praying specifically for that situation and taking it to God for almost a year. I clung to his hand and closed my eyes, praying but also humbled that my father loved me so much and cherishing a moment to just feel his love.
There IS turbulence in life at times. God tells us in the Bible that we will experience trouble – but He also assures us over and over and over again that He loves us and wants the absolute best for those who love Him. Sometimes it is when we feel scared, needy or weak – emotions I felt while swooping through the air in Ghana – that we realize the full extent of our Father’s love. Those moments can be terrifying but also irreplaceable and intimate - exactly how I would describe the plane ride with my dad.
In the midst of your fear and trouble, run to God, the only place where you will find true rest, unconditional love and hands ready to hold yours tenderly. Relish in the love He wants to lavish upon you. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8
Photo: My dad in Africa making fifi, a traditional food.
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