The Voice

The two lawyers had finished their business in the Aleutian Islands. One said, “This was not the end of the earth, BUT you could see it from there. The plane service was irregular, so they reluctantly accepted an offer to join a missionary who had finished his work and was about to fly his small plane to Anchorage, Alaska. The plane was a four seater – pretty, fairly new, and clean.

They boarded; it started and purred like a kitten or rather like a big cat. The missionary taxied to the end of the runway and stopped when one of the lawyers asked, “May I pray?”

The missionary said that he usually didn’t but if praying would make him feel better, he could. “I just figure that God is always with me,” the missionary commented.

The lawyer responded, “I believe that also, but Jesus said, “Low, I am with you,” and we are about to leave ‘low’ and go ‘high.’ So, he prayed and prayed and prayed and finally said, “Lord, I am not going to say amen – I want to stay in close communication.”

The missionary started the upward ascent, and the plane moved smoothly to an uneventful take off; however, the plane kept going up into a cloud bank.

Completely surrounded by clouds, the missionary, with a tremble in his voice said, “I can’t fly in clouds. I get dizzy and pass out,” and his eyes rolled back into his head, and HE PASSED OUT.

The lawyer in the right front seat, grabbed him, shook him, and shouted, “Wake up so I can kill you.”

The lawyer in the back seat cried out, “We’re going to die!”

The front seat lawyer started trying to make heads or tails of the instrument panel and all the flashing lights. He handed the microphone to the other lawyer, “Call for help!”

He immediately shouted into the mic., “HELP, HELP, HELP!!!”

Finally, a voice came back, “Hey, don’t you guys know proper radio etiquette?”

They both screamed, “NO! we don’t know anything. We are in a little bitty plane with an unconscious pilot, and we don’t know how to fly this thing.”

The voice said, “I am a cargo plane flying out of Anchorage to Tokyo, and I am going to circle you so that I don’t lose contact until I can get help for you from Anchorage Airport Emergency.”

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Anchorage Emergency replied. “I hear that you have a problem, but I can get you home, BUT you must listen to my voice and do exactly what I say. You must let me be in control. You just listen to my voice and obey –don’t question – just obey, OK?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“The voice said,” You are about one and one-half hours from Anchorage, and there are storms between you and me, but if you will listen to my voice and do as I say, I will bring you home, OK?”

“Yes, Sir.” The lawyer did not say I am highly educated; I have a law degree from Harvard; he did not ask for credentials from the VOICE; he humbly said, “Yes, sir.”

The VOICE said, “You cannot see me, but I can see you on my screen; so listen to my VOICE; I will not leave you; I will guide you safely home; but if you do not obey my VOICE, you will die.

“So, first thing, there is a mountain 4 minutes ahead of you. Don’t panic. I will take you around it.“ And he did.

“There are storms ahead, and the ride is going to be rough and very bumpy, but I will stay with you through the storms. Just listen to my VOICE and do as I say.

“I am going to tell you how to read the instruments and how to steer the plane, and ultimately land safely. Just listen to my VOICE. Watch the instruments. DO NOT look at the storm.”

Finally, after what seemed like hours and lots of instructions, the VOICE said, “You are approaching the airport. You cannot see it yet, but it is straight ahead. I have cleared all other air traffic. It is just you and me, OK?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You are getting close and you are doing fine. Keep listening to my VOICE, and we – you and I - will land the plane safely.

“You are about 200 feet up and you should be able to see the airport lights.”

“I do.”

“As you get closer, you will see lights in the shape of a cross. That is the end of the runway. Keep your eyes on the cross, and it will guide you home.”

“I see it.”

“Now, ease down like I taught you. I have prepared you for this moment. You listened well, and you and I are going to land this plane safely.”

So, he landed it. In fact, he landed seven times as he bounced to a stop -safely. The VOICE said, “Welcome home. Congratulations!

“I have had a few others in similar situations who would not listen to my VOICE and hear my words, and they crashed and burned, but you listened to my VOICE and got home safely. Well Done.”

````````````````````````````````

Jesus said, “My sheep know my VOICE. I know them and they follow me.”

Whose VOICE are you following?

Del Rogers, Sr., founder and CEO of Stewardship Enrichment is a recognized authority on successful fund raising for churches, ministries and personal stewardship growth for individual Christians.