WHY I LIKE TO FLY!
Text: Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
For most of my life I have had a passion to fly and had my first flight when I was 3 years old in a DC3 belonging to T.A.A. Trans Australian Airways which has since become Qantas. I travelled from Adelaide to Brisbane and can still remember certain aspects of the flight.
Whilst working as an Ambulance Officer I had the opportunity to become one of the first trained Air Ambulance Officers and continued to work in that capacity for 14 yrs. I loved flying in small aircraft and clocked up thousands of hours in the air.
The best thing I liked about flying is that it does not matter what the weather is like on the ground once you break through the storm clouds it is a beautiful day with nice sun shine and clear blue skies up above.
So the reason I liked to fly was that you can rise above the circumstances on the ground.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO FLY ABOVE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES
An aeroplane requires strong engines to get of the ground and the engines need to be at full power. It also needs the right kind of fuel in the engines with the mixtures at the right levels. Too rich and the engines will cough and splutter too little and the engines will not have enough power. The pilot has to set the mixture of fuel and air to just the right mix so that the engines have that maximum power to get of the ground. The other thing that aircraft need to do to get of the ground is to begin their take off facing into the prevailing wind.
For the last two weeks I have looked at the eagle and I think I shared on their ability to use the storms to climb above the storms. They just open their wings and soar using the winds to climb. Well an aircraft starts off the same way except that it needs the power of the engines to gain the momentum to get airborne.
TO FLY ABOVE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES WE NEED STRENGTH
Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
Moses declared after the wind of the Holy Spirit had opened up the red sea and made a way for them to cross over that
Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
When God delivered David from the hand of his enemies he sang this song
2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect.
You and I need the strength that comes from God to rise above the circumstances of life. We, like the aeroplane need the right mixture for our engines to get of the ground and soar like the eagles.
We need the Word of God for food which is like the right kind of fuel for the Aeroplane. But we too need the wind of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word so that we can climb and sore above the circumstances of life.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH IS GOD
He is the one who gives us the strength to climb above the circumstances of life.
Isaiah 40:28-29 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. [29] He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
The demands of our life require more than our own power.
Yes, we get tired, but if we serve God when we are tired, He will give us strength.
Listen: You will never get weary serving Christ.
Sin will drain us but the joy of the Lord is our strength.
THE CONDITIONS OF STRENGTH ARE MADE CLEAR IN ISAIAH 40:31
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Our ministry must be to The Lord.
Jesus did not come to be ministered to, He came to minister.
So how can we minister unto The Lord?
God has given us the way of life in His Word and He sets out the right course for us in His Word.
Getting back to my love of flying!
Every time I flew in the Air Ambulance we always had a set destination and the pilots always submitted a flight plan and flew according to that flight plan.
We also had to fly at the assigned altitude to avoid flying into other aircraft or into mountains or hills for that matter. The planning was part of the pre take off and it did not matter how urgent the case was a proper flight plan had to be lodged and adhered to
Just think about it one or two degrees out and you would never arrive at the right destination or fly at the wrong altitude and you would be in danger of crashing.
The Word of God says
Matthew 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
In the course of my career there were many times when we had our plans changed. It just meant out would come the maps and courses would be plotted and flight plans would be lodged via the radio.
I believe that is no different to us when we slip up and fall into sin. God has a perfect plan and purpose for our life but when we mess up His plans for our life we need to get out His Word and put our self back on course from His Word. The only difference is that our destination should never change. Yes we may have to go around the mountain like the children of Israel but if we keep our focus on Him, wait upon Him, we will arrive at the promised land.
As we wait on Him He renews our strength. He exchanges or trades in our weakness for His strength.
THE END RESULT OF HIS STRENGTH IS THAT WE TOO WILL
A. FLY ABOVE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
B. CLIMB OVER SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE OBSTACLES.
"We shall run, and not be weary; we shall walk, and not faint."
The world looks a different place from up in the air. Cars and trucks look like ants, towns and cities look small and insignificant. Even oceans look small and the hills and mountains look flat the higher you go. I never got sick of the thrill of being up in the air and from the awesomeness of God’s creation as you looked down upon it.
AS AN OLD SONG GOES
"Ain’t no mountain high enough ain’t no valley low enough to keep me from getting to You" and I would add, Lord.
As I read God’s Word I see many people like you and I that struggled to trust God in adverse circumstances. No one said it is easy but I do know if you put your trust in the flight plan it does not matter what obstacles are in your way you will climb over them and reach your destination safely.
In Conclusion
In flying there were some things that were hard to factor into the flight plan. Clear air turbulence was one of them and wind sheers was another. Both these had the potential to bring a plane out of the air and cause a crash
In life we do have an enemy that is out to kill steal and destroy. He is trying to destroy marriages, He is trying to destroy lives. We need to remember that he is often dressed as an angel of light.
2 Cor. 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
So even if what you are doing seems good and it seems right, if it is contrary to God’s Word and the sanctity of marriage then it is not of God but of the devil and we must avoid it or risk missing our desired destination.
I am aware that for some of you the thought of flying would bring great fear upon you. As an Air Ambulance Officer I had to contend with that on many occasions, but as I was able to reassure the person and explain the different things that would happen, I did not find anyone who did not come to enjoy the flight.
For some of you that will mean letting go of some of your fixed thoughts and ideas, but if you will let go and trust God, He will not let you down.
I am reminded of the Apostle Paul when he was caught in a storm.
Acts 27:40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.
They had to let go of their false security and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead them to safety.
How About You, are you willing to trust God to bring you to your destination?
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
