Flying Lessons - part 2

As I shared yesterday, I took a flight from Fort Wayne to Chicago to Memphis on Tuesday, September 11, 2012…..11 years after the 9/11 tragedy.

I started reading Sarah Palin’s book, “Going Rogue” a couple of days ago. As I was sitting on the plane waiting to taxi to the runway to leave Fort Wayne, I was reading my book. I flipped the page to start the next chapter and then….the next portion of the book was Sarah’s account of her experience on 9/11.  I about dropped the book…..seriously, I was sitting on a plane on 9/11/12 reading about the most recent tragedy to hit U.S. soil exactly 11 years ago almost to the minute. God, that wasn’t funny!  I had just boldly declared to two ladies that I wasn’t afraid to fly on that particular date…..now I was sitting on a plane reading about the very event that rocked our nation.

The great thing about God is that: one- His truths don’t change. All of His promises won’t let go of me, or you! Even when fear knocks on the door – His power and strength still runs deep in our spirits. Two –God is so much bigger than what is going on here in the world.

The flight from Fort Wayne to Chicago, where I had a couple hours of lay over time, was short and sweet. The trip was so short that the plane didn’t ascend very high in the sky. In fact, sitting next to the window, I could make out houses, parks, cars, buildings the entire flight. As we got closer to Chicago, we flew near Lake Michigan. Wow!  That lake is so huge….even looking out over the lake from my seat on the plane, I couldn’t see the other shore line. Immediately, I thought, “Wow, God.  That is HUGE!” and I felt in my spirit Him whisper back, “Yep…to you it is.  To me, I can hold that entire body of water in the palm of my hand without spilling a drop.” As I looked out over the landscape and saw the Sears Tower, the stadiums, dome and other landmarks in Chicago, I couldn’t help but be in awe. It was a sight to behold, especially with the morning sun shining down on the city. But the one thing I couldn’t see….I couldn’t see people. I couldn’t look down from my seat in the sky and peek into their lives. I surely couldn’t hear them talking or know their feelings.

Again, I felt the Spirit say to me, “I can do that. I can look at the entire universe, but at the same time hear your heart, hear your prayers, know your thoughts, see your smile, watch you laugh, catch your tears.”

That is a God who loves. One who can reach down and be that personable while still being big enough to hold it all in his hand.