The right voice...

       Last week Tyler Perry’s story reminded us that God is our air traffic controller, ready to guide us to safety during turbulent times. This week, I am going to stick with this a little longer.
         Even as Tyler Perry was begging the pilot to land the plane panic had set in and he just wanted it to be over and done with. I am thinking here of two different voices. There was the voice in his mind – the voice of fear – very loud and very clear telling him that it wasn’t worth it, that he didn’t want to die because it was certain that they were going to die if they didn’t land that plane immediately. Then there was the voice of the air traffic controller telling them to go in exactly the opposite direction – up!!! Here was this person who was not in the turbulence with them but telling them to go up, to climb! In life there will always be voices directing us to go one way or the other, to do one thing or the other but this is where we have to be discerning enough to know which voice is which; which voice we should listen to and obey and which voice we should ignore.
         The story of Jesus comes to mind. When He told the disciples that in Jerusalem he would be killed and raised again the third day, Peter rebuked Him declaring that such a thing would not happen to Him (Matthew 16:21-22). In Peter’s mind Jesus was the Messiah and Him being killed just did not make sense. He was not intentionally trying to stop God’s purpose for Jesus’ life but that was exactly what he was doing. What Jesus prophesied about his death seemed too turbulent, too disturbing, too horrific to Peter and the disciples and if they could stop it from happening they would. They couldn’t see the victory on the other side of that horrible fate.
         We too will encounter voices, people who cannot see the good, the purpose that God has for our turbulent situation and who will try to get us to land our plane before time. These voices will come into agreement with our fear, with our own desire to handle our situation in a way that God doesn’t want us to. The voice of fear always makes sense to our human understanding yet that does not necessarily mean that it is the voice of God.
         On the other hand, there are those voices, those people who will encourage us not to land, not to give up because somehow God has given them the spiritual eyes to see what God has put in us. Those voices will encourage us not to abort God’s purpose but to keep going, to keep climbing, to keep being the best we can be in spite of the turbulence. Jesus chose not to listen to the voice of Peter but to the voice of His heavenly Father who had put Him in this position in the first place. He understood and came into agreement with the Father’s purpose for His life understanding that He had to go through this terrible time and submit Himself to death on the cross so that He would sit at the Father’s right hand and receive a name above all names; a name that would cause demons to fear and tremble; a name to which every knee would bow. He knew that salvation for the world would come through His submitting to that terrible fate ... and that that “turbulence” would not last forever, it would come to an end. 
         Again, this is why I like to thank God for turbulent times, especially when I see the good He brings out of it for me – the valuable lessons I learn, the strength I gain, the experience I receive so that I can encourage others in their time of turbulence. 
         None of us likes to submit to that voice that tells us that we can’t land just yet, that we have to go through, that we have to climb instead of land, that we have to keep going forward instead of turning around and going back. But our God always has a purpose for every trial, every test, every hurt, every pain, every suffering, every confusing situation, every turbulence that comes our way. Some things He will prevent us from going through but some things we just cannot avoid. Either way, it’s about God’s purpose for our lives. What God wanted to do in Tyler Perry’s life required him to go through that turbulent plane ride just for him to learn to face his fear and conquer it so that he could keep doing what he had to do for the Lord.
         What are the voices in your life saying to you now in the midst of your turbulent situation? God will never lead you wrong and once it is His purpose for you to go through that situation, He will lead you the right way and guide you safely to His purpose for you.
         If you have not asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, please do so now. We all need direction especially as we navigate the challenges of life. You can trust God’s leading because it will always be about guiding you into what is good, what is best for you.

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