Faith and Trust

Hi Everyone,A couple of months ago I was planning my trip to Huntsville, AL. to watch my daughter play in a tennis tournament. I checked the mileage and found out that it was going to be a loooooong drive, but what an opportunity to get to hang out with Annie and be her personal cheerleader for four or five days.I was planning on making the drive when I got a phone call from a good friend whose daughter was to play in the same tournament. He told me that he was going to be flying, he is a pilot, and Annie and I were welcome to ride with he and his daughter. Needless to say, I was pumped that I wouldn't have to make the long drive.When we took off on our way to Huntsville I was filled with questions since I had never flown in the co-pilot's seat. My friend Pete told me all about the plane and how the instruments work while we were in the air. It was fascinating to say the least. Pete told me that he was "instrument panel" trained and I asked what that meant. Pete said, "I can fly us to our destination without ever seeing where we are going. I simply have to utilize the instruments to navigate our trip." Pete went on to ask me if I remembered when John Kennedy crashed? I said, "Sure." He said, "When you are in the air flying in turbulence and clouds, or over water, your mind and body can easily convince you that things are happening which really aren't and you tend to overcompensate, make adjustments that you don't need to make. If you trust your senses, how you feel, or what you think--it will get you trouble." I said, "What you are telling me is that you have to have faith in the instrument panel." Pete said, "That's what I'm telling you." I've thought about our conversation in Pete's plane for the past week and even shared my experience with you in worship last Sunday morning. It is paramount for a pilot to trust his instruments, instruments that have been assembled by people, rather than trust his senses or what he thinks would be best.There is hardly a week go by that I don't hear someone say that that they know what God's Word says, "But..." What they are really saying is that they know what THE "Instrument Panel" says, but they know better. Just like my friend Pete and his plane, if we trust our senses or what we think is best then we are heading for trouble.On the way home we hit storms from Huntsville to Tulsa. It was rocky to say the least. There were times that I could see nothing but clouds as we plowed through the billowy blobs that lifted and dropped us at will. I'm so glad that during those tumultuous times my friend Pete trusted his instruments and not his instincts so that we could make it home safely.God's Word was given to us by God, not "assembled" at some factory. We can trust Him. When the storms of life howl and blow I hope you will remember the lesson I learned from my friend Pete and his reliance upon his instrument panel.Have a great week.In His Steps,Mike