God is still in control

    On June 24th 1982, at 37,000 feet, British Airways flight 9, carrying 263 passengers, lost all four engines. The Boeing 747 plane was flying peacefully through the night, above the Indian Ocean, when first engine four, then engines two, one and three failed. With all four engines dead, the plane quickly began losing altitude. Amidst all the chaos and fear, the captain’s calm voice came over the intercom. He told them that they had a small problem, that the engines had stopped and that they were doing their best to get them started again. He ended with the words: “I trust you are not in too much distress.” 
    Even as he tried to calm the passengers, inside the cockpit, chaos reigned. The Senior First Officer’s oxygen mask had broken and he was gasping for breath in the thin air. The Captain chose to descend to allow him the air he needed to breathe. The Flight Engineer frantically tried restarting the engines while the First Officer communicated with Jakarta. They made fifteen attempts to restart the engines as the plane descended rapidly to 13,000 feet. Suddenly engine four restarted, then engines three, one and two. All four engines had been dead for 13 minutes and, at 13,000 feet, miraculously restarted.
    Unfortunately they were still not safe. Whatever had caused the engines to fail had also damaged the windscreen making it opaque. They could barely see through it and had to attempt to land the aircraft blind. With the help of their side windows, instruments and radio guidance from Jarkarta, the plane landed safely at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. All 263 passengers and crew made it through this ordeal alive.
    Investigators later discovered that Mount Galunggung in Java had erupted, sending a massive ash cloud eight miles high. This cloud had spread across flight paths and was invisible to radar and difficult to see at night. Flight 9 had unknowingly flown right through it in the darkness and the particles had choked the engines. They only restarted thanks to the plane’s descent below the ash cloud where the cooler air had caused the particles to solidify and break off. After this experience, systems were put in place to ensure that planes never again faced this type of danger.
    This story really caught my attention. Although it gives no credit or glory to God for His miraculous deliverance of the passengers and crew, I certainly do. It reminds me of a few things. One, as we go through this life, challenges will come when we least expect it. But, even when we feel as if we are losing control, God is still in control. God knew exactly what that flight would go through that night and He had that plane covered. Similarly, God knows what we are going to face before we face it and He has us covered. Just as the flight crew could not see the danger they were in or how they would land safely, just so, we too don’t always see the danger coming our way or how we are going to get through it. Yet, this is where faith and trust in a Sovereign God comes in. He can see what we can’t and He knows how things will work out. He knows the end from the beginning and if we just trust Him, He will see us through whatever trial we may face. 
    Second, in spite of the turmoil probably raging inside of him, the captain attempted to calm the passengers in his care. He never once gave them the impression that they were going to die, although, I am sure they all felt death very near. Instead, he chose to give them hope when he had no clue how things would work out. Our God is our calm in the midst of the storm. Like Peter who was able to walk on stormy waters once he kept his eyes on Jesus (Matthew 14:28-29), we too can experience calm in the midst of our situations once we keep our focus on God and His Word. There have been many times when God’s still, small voice assured me that I was going to be okay. And whenever I chose to trust that voice, I felt at peace, even though my circumstances seemed to say differently. God is our peace when wars and storms are raging. He is our hope and our strength when our own hope and strength fail. 
    Third, thanks to what happened to flight 9, systems were put in place to make sure that no plane, passengers or crew would ever again go through that type of experience. The reality is, we may not always like when we go through difficult times, but our troubles are not in vain. God will take that negative situation and use it to be a blessing to and an encouragement to others. It will even help mould and shape us into who God wants us to be.
    So, even when we don’t know what’s coming or how we are going to make it through, God is still a very present help in trouble. He sees what we can’t and He is able to turn any situation around for good. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is able to do miraculous things. Even when we don’t see how things will work out, God knows, He has the answer and He will bring us safely through. Be encouraged.

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