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According to my Aeroplan loyalty program statement, I’m a frequent flyer.
I’ve almost never feared for my life on airline flights. But there was one white-knuckle trip into Toronto when extreme rain, crosswinds and turbulence caused us to hit the runway violently, only to take off again because, the pilot calmly explained later, we had been blown too far down the runway.
I doubt I was the only one praying that day! God spared us and I was grateful both for His protection and for skillful pilots who expertly handled the emergency.
More metaphorically, I’ve heard several times in past months that we’re living in turbulent times.
Politically, this is certainly true. There are no fewer than 60 national elections around the world slated for 2025, many in places where civil and international wars rage. And both Canada and the U.S. are seeing changes of political leadership with uncertain future effects.
Continued political, moral and social polarization appear to be the norm while economic instability looms large. Let’s not also forget the increased prevalence of fires, floods, storms and other natural disasters.
Turbulent times indeed.
It’s an apt phrase to describe what’s going on. Like an airline passenger hanging on for dear life through heavy turbulence, there’s really little else we can do to change the situation.
After that one rough flight I was glad my first impulse was to pray. Praying is a good thing to do when we feel out of control.
The Lord, in other words, is neither surprised nor frightened by the turbulence of human history.
But what about in cases of political, social, economic and moral turbulence? Why don’t such circumstances always evoke our natural Christian impulse to pray?
Two reasons come to mind.
First, prayer actually isn’t natural, any more than getting up and going to the gym is natural (at least for me).
Our fallen inclination to take the path of least resistance, even for those mature in Christ, is an outworking of what Scripture calls the flesh. That’s a key reason prayer – and going to the gym – don’t come naturally to us.
But second, prayer isn’t a natural impulse in turbulent times because we strangely forget we aren’t in control.
I’m reminded of the opening words of Psalm 2:
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His anointed saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”
I’m sure the psalmist was befuddled with why God seemed to not notice the political conspiracies of the nations. Likewise, as we consider the turbulent times we live in, we may wonder why God seems to be letting things get so . . . out of control.
Actually, we’re most likely to believe God has lost control when we become keenly aware we ourselves have lost control. In contrast, when we’ve got life neatly ordered and organized for ourselves, we tend to not worry about God’s side of things. This also can influence our impulse to pray.
Such thinking is misguided. Have we ever been in control? Have we let ourselves get so accustomed to our sense of personal autonomy that our natural impulse isn’t to pray, but immediately to strategize what we can do to change the current state of affairs?
The psalmist reveals what God thinks of the uprisings and scheming of humans – “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:4).
The Lord, in other words, is neither surprised nor frightened by the turbulence of human history. And knowing how God responds is where prayer comes in – “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:12).
Prayer has been defined in all kinds of ways – conversation, communion, petition and so on. But there’s another sense in which prayer is ultimately about taking refuge in the One who alone is the unshakeable, unflappable, competent Pilot in whatever turbulence we face.
Do we really believe that? Or does what we say to one another – or to that vast multitude on social media – belie our inner doubts about whether the Great Pilot will carry us through?
To be sure, Scripture nowhere promises to insulate us from turbulence. But we will be blessed if we but first take refuge in God by daily, against even our natural inclinations, turning to Him first in prayer.
David Guretzki is the EFC’s president and CEO. Read more of these columns at FaithToday.ca/CrossConnections. Photo of praying people: Erik Mok.
Author:
David Guretzki