Living Above The Storm

 

T

here is nothing enjoyable about a 6:30 a.m. flight; well, almost nothing.  The fact that the flight has very few passengers at this time of the morning is definitely a selling point but that’s just about the only attractive thing about traveling this time of day.  

 

I had the opportunity to experience early morning travel as I made my way back to Texas from North Carolina.  I had gone home to be with my dad who had had knee replacement surgery.   

 

I arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. and checked in without having to wait in line.  Hey, there’s another There is nothing enjoyable about a 6:30 a.m. flight; well, almost nothing.  The fact that the flight has very few passengers at this time of the morning is definitely a selling point but that’s just about the only attractive thing about traveling this time of day.  

 

I had the opportunity to experience early morning travel as I made my way back to Texas from North Carolina.  I had gone home to be with my dad who had had knee replacement surgery.   

I arrived at the airport around 5:30 a.m. and checked in without having to wait in line.  Hey, there’s another selling point for early travel!  Maybe it’s not so bad after all.  In any event, I met a man from Michigan, and we talked with each other until time to board the flight.

   

The airplane loaded quickly and in no time at all we were barreling down the runway, headed for the skies.  Just before takeoff, the captain informed us the ride could be a bit bumpy due to turbulent air and storms in the area.  Sure enough, as we approached takeoff speed, rain pellets began pelting the plane and small rivulets ran down the windows.  A few minutes later, we were in the air with a few jolts and bumps along the way. 

 

Passing through the clouds deprived me of any view of the ground.  All around us, everything was gray and murky.  I couldn’t see where we were going or where we had been.  Everything resembled a huge bowl of gray soup!  Suddenly, we punched through the last remaining cloudbank, and everything changed.  The sky was no longer gray, but crystal blue and the sun was shining brightly as it began its daily march across the sky.  Here the wind was calm, and nothing buffeted the plane.  Above us, there was only clear, cloudless sky, while below us, the thick, gray storm clouds continued their assault on the landscape below. 

 

As we climbed higher and higher into the sky leaving the storm further and further below, a portion of Psalm 104 came to my mind.  Psalm 104:3b reads, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind."  What a different perspective this put on my flight as the plane continued to gain altitude, providing me with a greater view of the sky and the land below.   

 

From my window just behind the wing, the clouds resembled a thick carpet.  It looked as though I could just step out and walk on them, much like Peter walking on the water.  Then the thought struck me, this is where God walks, on the clouds, above the storms, and this is where He invites us to join Him.  Imagine that!  God wants to bring us through the storms of life so we can walk and live with Him on a daily basis way above the troubles and cares of life. 

 

This in no way means storms will not come.  In order to appreciate the tranquility of the upper heights, I had to pass through the rough and turbulent winds of the storm below.  The same is true in life.  God never promised there would be no more storms.  You won’t find that in the Bible.  What you will find, however, is His steadfast and eternal promise to be with us in those storms and to bring us through them.  

 

I have thought about that flight many times since that particular morning.  Whenever I hear a plane in the air my thoughts quickly return to the view of the clear sky above and the storm clouds below.  Then I remember God’s promise to be with me in every situation and never to forsake me no matter how desperate my circumstances seem to be. So, I have only one question for you today.  Are you living in the storms of life or above them?