Cleared for Takeoff

 

T

he DFW airport is a place of constant activity.  At anytime during the day or night airplanes take off and land at a steady pace.  The sky above the Metroplex area is always filled with planes that are either leaving the airport or are awaiting permission to land.  It is not unusual, especially at night, to see multiple sets of landing lights as the planes make their final approach to the airfield. 

 

Driving to the airport is also an adventure.  People are always making a mad dash to catch that last-minute flight and it seems that the traffic on the ground is as congested as the traffic in the air.  Yet, amidst all this seeming confusion, the flights at DFW take off and land on schedule and, with very few exceptions; everything runs pretty smoothly and according to plan. 

 

As you enter the airport and pick up your parking ticket, you are immediately faced with one of three traffic control towers.  These towers are the brains of DFW. Nothing happens, not one plane lands or takes off, not one plane enters or leaves a gate, without the permission or the knowledge of the people in the tower.  They stand guard over the entire complex, keeping abreast, not only of all the planes on the ground, but of every plane on approach to DFW.  One can only imagine the atmosphere in that tower as several controllers keep careful vigil over their radar screens, tracking every movement of every plane in the air and on the ground. 

 

Would it surprise you to know that this example clearly demonstrates the way God watches over his children?  Do you realize that nothing you do escapes the loving eyes of your Heavenly Father?  Everything we do, every move we make, every trial we face, and every joy we experience captures God’s attention.  What a comforting thought this should be to us today.  When we feel as if life is upside down and that nothing makes any sense, we must remember that God is in the control tower, observing us, making sure that all conditions are favorable so that we arrive safely and on time.

 

Deuteronomy 11:12 speaks of God’s watchful eye and of his promise to oversee every aspect of our lives.  Before the Hebrew children entered the Promised Land, God already knew where they were heading and all of the obstacles they would face.  He had watched over the land for centuries, preparing it for their arrival.  However, God also prepared the people so that they would be ready to take the land once they arrived safely in it.  Let’s look at what this passage of scripture says. “It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” 

 

Here, in this passage is one of the most wonderful promises God gives us.  Notice that His eyes were on the land “continually, from the beginning of the year to its end.”  That means God’s eyes never left the land.  He always kept vigil over it, knowing every move that was made in it and He waited until the conditions were right for the people to enter.  God watched over the land because He had promised it to Abraham’s descendants.  God will never break His promises and He will never forget them. 

 

So, if God carefully watches over the land where we are heading, doesn’t it make sense that He would diligently keep His eyes on us as well?  Yes, His eyes are on us all the time.  They never leave us and His presence is always with us, no matter what we are facing or what our circumstances tell us.  God keeps watch over us from the beginning of the year until its end.  God sits in the control tower of our lives, making sure that all conditions are favorable for us to taxi to the runway and take off.  If we maintain contact with Him, we can be assured of arriving at our destination safely and on time.  Are you cleared for takeoff today?