Fog

I recently read this quote: “A fog covering seven city blocks is composed of one glass of water.” I Googled it and found the following citation: “According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of 100 feet is composed of less than one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets. Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from sight. (Source Unknown)”

This is quite amazing when you think about it. One glass of water is hardly enough to wet a single person thoroughly, yet it can cause a fog which could cripple transportation if it happens to occur in a busy thoroughfare or airport. I remember my first trip to London’s Heathrow Airport. There was an observation deck where you could watch the planes takeoff and land. Sort of. That particular day the “London fog” was very present at the airport. You could see the planes taxi down the runway, hear the roar of the jet engines, but as soon as the wheels left the ground the plane disappeared from sight into the dense fog hanging over the airport.

Can you imagine being a pilot, flying one of those huge planes full of anxious passengers? That is a lot of responsibility. You have to be thoroughly trained on the instruments in the cockpit. Beyond training, you then have to have complete confidence on the direction being given from those instruments and from the air-traffic controllers in the tower. Much of this process is now handled by computers following signals being emitted by equipment on the ground. Even so, as the one in charge, the captain has to trust the process and be prepared to intervene should something go wrong.

My friend, Jason Peebles, used flying as an illustration often in his teaching. It is so easy to see the application. Each of us are the “captain” of our life. We are ultimately responsible for our outcome. Using the instruments (scripture – The Word) to get information about our journey, relying on prayer (communication with the tower – The Father) to give us additional information which is not available on the instruments, and following the inward witness (training – the Holy Spirit), we approach each takeoff and landing with care. 

Before we taxi to the end of the runway we will use to make our exit, we thoroughly examine the plane, the maintenance verification, fuel gauges, and radio to insure everything is in proper working order. This could certainly fit nicely with the description Paul gave for the Armor of God. When we reach the launch point for our takeoff, we make sure we get our bearings by setting our gauges to coincide with the direction of the runway. We set destination coordinates to the location we expect to reach at the end of our journey. Once we receive final instructions from the tower and one final check of the instruments, we press down on the throttle to release the power of the engines which propels this multi-ton flying machine down the runway until it reaches lift speed (point where the air pressure on top of the wing is less than the pressure under the wing) and pull back on the yoke to send the plane soaring, defeating the force of gravity trying to keep it on the ground.

It took humans many centuries, even millennia, to develop the ability to do that which birds could do since the day they were created. To watch a bird take off and land with such ease has intrigued man from the beginning. After years of trial and error, manned flight was finally accomplished at Kitty Hawk. It has progressed by leaps and bounds since those early days of the "crazy young men and their flying machines." By using what we now know about flying, it gives us a beautiful picture of how the Godhead works in the life of the Believer to help us traverse this planet and accomplish that which we were created to do.

The description above of the process of getting a plane off the ground may sound complex, but only if you are not familiar with the process. God’s plan for you is so simple, a child can do it. I believe the Western Church has tried to complicate living the Christian life to the point that we forget how to fly. Just like the birds, who were created to fly without even thinking about it, we are created to be sons and daughters of the Most High. It’s not hard!

I love Paul’s description in Ephesians 1, where he uses a phrase over and over to help us understand some of the most complex topics in scripture; things like predestined, adoption, and being sealed by the Holy Spirit are all “to the praise of His glory.” At one point he gives us counsel to simply “be to the praise of His glory.” You don’t even have to think about being. You already are. Just like Jesus, we are destined to be kings and priests of the Most High. We are born a king when we become identified with Christ. We are kings by bestowal (“joint heirs” with Jesus), Who was coronated “King of kings” when He was seated at the right hand of The Father. We are “kings by conquest” when Christ defeated our enemy. All of this was accomplished in us through Jesus.

So, the next time you seem to be in a fog, remember who you are in Him, and Whose you are – a son or daughter of The Father. Look for the beam from the Lighthouse of Heaven, leading you to safe passage, and listen for the lowing of the Foghorn of God, the sound which beckons us homeward.