Flying Solo

“I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27

There was a photographer who worked for a national magazine. He was assigned to get photos of a gigantic forest fire. Smoke at the scene was too thick to get many good shots so he frantically called his home office to hire a plane. His editor said, “It will be waiting for you at the airport. Get going!” As soon as he got to this small rural airport, he noticed a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let’s go!” The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they were in the air. The photographer said, “Follow the north side of the fire and make three or four low-level passes so I can get some good shots.” The pilot said, “Why do you want me to do that?” He said, “Because I am going to take pictures! I am a photographer as you know and photographers take pictures!” The pilot’s eyes got wide and his mouth dropped open. After a long pause he said, “You mean you aren’t the instructor?”

This story sounds ridiculous, but isn’t this how many people attempt to live their lives…flying solo? As you fly the plane of your life – deciding how you are going to live – where do you look for leadership and guidance? There are a great number of people who feel like they don’t need any help. They think they can figure life out on their own, maybe even thinking it is more adventurous to live by trial-and-error, hoping lady-luck is on their side. There are others, like myself, who believe that God wants to guide us and instruct us to what is true. We desire to live a life of truth.

What is truth? In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the truth.” Jesus is the truth and the truth is whatever God says is true. God has given us both a guide (the Spirit of God) and the source of guidance (the Word of God) to guide us into truth. More than 500 years before the birth of Christ, God spoke through the Old Testament Prophet, Ezekiel, promising to one day send His Spirit to not only be with His people, but to be in His people. We as believers today are living in the light of that promise. From the moment we place our faith in Christ, God sends His Spirit to live in us. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit many times as, “The Spirit of Truth.” The Spirit’s primary purpose in our lives is to guide us to the truth. We don’t have to fly solo through life. We don’t have to be confused. We have an Instructor, a Teacher, someone who will guide us into all truth.

Dear Lord, I don't want to continue to fly solo and figure things out on my own. I pray that you would draw me to yourself and remind me that you're always near and always with me. I want to be close to you so that I no longer have to feel alone. In Jesus' name, amen.