On Thursday afternoon, January 15th I had a chance to meet with my daughter Maegan for a short get-together. We try and do that a couple of times a week. It’s like a dad date. Maegan is a stunningly beautiful, blond-headed, twenty two year old, nursing student who works at Plaza Medical. Among her many talents and qualities, her greatest flair is her God given ability to wrap her Daddy around her little finger.
She asked me what I thought about the day’s news and said, “Isn’t it wonderful?”Now usually the words news and wonderful don’t belong in the same sentence. That was the first I heard about flight 1549 and the crash landing everyone is calling Miracle on the Hudson.
If you are a regular reader of my column, you know by now I am a self-proclaimed Jesus Freak. You probably have also picked up that while I prefer the term cutting edge most would aptly call me off the wall. This week’s confession of a highly caffeinated Christian blatantly states I am in all probability even worse than you thought.
I’m the kind of Christian the devil warned you about. I believe in miracles. I believe God isn’t a symbol but an actual person and He speaks to all of us. I believe that while we live in a ruined world full of innumerable mess-ups, This God I’m talking about is prevailing His goodness while being blamed for the bad. He’s a really nice guy and I just love to hope in Him and look to Him.
I saw Him again last week. I think anybody with an eye to see, meaning people who wanted to see, saw God’s goodness and heard a powerful message through our nations headlines on January 15th.
The themes being preached through this incredible event came power-packed with a word for you and yours. Lets take a look at some of them.
(1) This story is not about what went wrong but what went right. Let me tell you I think this sentence belongs to you in 2009. Your story this year is not going to be about all the things going wrong but rather about the amazing things going right. It’s like Isaiah 58:10 where is says your darkness will be like noonday. It’s not about the darkness but about the brightness that’s in it.
(2) What hasn’t worked before worked perfectly this time. We have all seen what happens when a jumbo jet tries to land in the water and typically it’s a terrible disaster. I think what has hasn’t worked before works for God’s people this year. I am going after things again this year where I have failed before and believing this time it all works perfectly.
(3) Quick response is needed and cooler heads prevail.
Pilot "Sully" Sullenberger made quick and radical decisions that saved the lives of 155 people. This also should be our story this year. We should refuse to panic and make quicker decisions than ever before. Rapid response and appropriate actions will qualify us to get upgraded from a nobody to a hero in so many people’s eyes.
(4) Sometimes you have to ditch the plane
It’s not about everything going perfectly, it’s about a perfect outcome. There are certain victories you have to have this year and sometimes we get rid of things precious to us in order to achieve those amazing outcomes.
(5) Playbooks are being rewritten.
When they re-write the textbooks and the training manuals on what to do in that same scenario, they will follow the way pilot Sullenberger did it. I think there are new ways of doing things that are better than how we have done things before. Don’t be surprised if God has you blazing a few trails for others this year.
(6) Pay attention to the preflight safety announcements.
The instructions on how to safely exit a downed plane are being paid much more attention to after January 15th. The directions are not courtesy but specific instructions we had better take seriously if we want to be safe. (See Psalm 119:117,Proverbs 18:10, and Proverbs 29:25)
(7) The pilot and crew refuse attention and credit.
I think when God does miraculous things through us (we could all learn something from the pilot and crew of flight 1539) it’s important for us to get out of the way, remain humble and not make it all about us. The idea is not to make Ministries famous but the good Lord all of us serve.
Contact The Brewer @ www.OpenDoorMinistries.org
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