Who’s Flying This Plane!

There is a question I’ve been asking myself lately.

Not while sitting on an airplane.

But while walking through everyday life.

Who’s flying this plane?

At first, the answer seems obvious.

“I am.”

After all, I’m the one making decisions.

I’m the one paying the bills.

I’m the one planning the future.

I’m the one trying to solve problems before they become bigger problems.

The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized something uncomfortable.

Many of us are living as though we are the pilot of our own lives while asking God to simply be our co-pilot.

We invite Him into the cockpit.

We ask for His advice.

We even pray before making major decisions.

But when turbulence comes, our instinct is to grab the controls.

We tighten our grip.

We work harder.

We worry more.

We try to see around corners that only God can see.

Isn’t that what control really is?

Trying to manage what was never ours to manage.

Proverbs 3:5–6 has become one of the most familiar passages in Scripture.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Notice what Solomon doesn’t say.

He doesn’t tell us to understand every turn.

He doesn’t promise we’ll see the entire flight plan.

He simply tells us to trust the One who does.

That can be incredibly difficult.

We like certainty.

We want to know where we’re going, how long it will take, and what challenges we’ll face along the way.

But faith has never required full visibility.

It has only required confidence in the One who is leading.

Think about Abraham.

God told him to leave everything familiar without showing him the final destination.

Think about the Israelites.

They followed a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. They never knew where they would stop next. They simply moved when God moved.

Even the disciples spent three years following Jesus without knowing where the journey would ultimately lead.

None of them had the full flight plan.

They simply trusted the Pilot.

Perhaps that’s where many of us become weary.

We are trying to fly a plane we were never created to pilot.

We’re constantly scanning the horizon, anticipating every possible problem, attempting to control every outcome.

No wonder anxiety grows.

Control is exhausting.

Trust is freeing.

That doesn’t mean we stop making wise decisions.

Pilots still have responsibilities.

Passengers still have responsibilities.

But they are different responsibilities.

God has called us to obedience.

He has never asked us to carry His omniscience.

There is tremendous peace in admitting,

“Lord, I don’t know what’s ahead… but You do.”

The One who sees tomorrow is not surprised by what tomorrow holds.

He already knows the storms.

He already knows the delays.

He already knows the destination.

And He has never lost control of the journey.

Perhaps faith is not gripping the controls more tightly.

Perhaps faith is loosening our grip altogether.

Because the safest place to be has never been in the pilot’s seat.

It has always been under the care of the One who never loses His way.

Reflection

Take a moment and ask yourself:

Am I trusting God to lead my life… or am I continually reaching for the controls?

Maybe today the Lord is inviting you to take your hands off what only He was ever meant to hold.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5

Much Love

~Gayla