Bill is a guy who follows Jesus. And he tells the story of co-piloting a plane from the West Coast of the USA to Chicago with a pilot he had flown with a few times. Once the auto-pilot was on they always had a good yack, while also responding to radio updates from air traffic control on the ground.
One trip, Bill asked the pilot if he would ever consider turning off his radio and directing the flight alone. His companion in the cockpit didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course not!’ he laughed. ‘It’d be crazy – I need all the information and assistance I can get my hands on…especially in dicey weather’.
Bill responded with an understanding nod and then said, ‘If you can believe it, some people fly through their entire life with the radio to heaven turned off. They receive zero input from God. They get no guidance, no wisdom, and no counsel. A lot of times, they fly blind into bad weather and end up crashing and burning. You’d be surprised how many people do that.’
Silence crept through the cockpit. And then a few seconds later the pilot responded and said, ‘I guess that would be pretty stupid wouldn’t it.’ And then he asked, ‘Well. How do you turn the “radio” on?’
I’m pretty sure no intelligent four wheel driver would go on a serious trip without turning on their radio or even packing a satellite phone. On the last TRAX trip, the radio was an invaluable aid in getting warnings about tricky situations and directions for the best way to go. Everyone had the radio in their car on.
Life is an even bigger adventure than a TRAX trip. Do you have that radio tuned in to God’s frequency? Do you recognise the value of what He has to say about what life is about and how it is best navigated? Do you think He might just have something useful to say about it all, given He’s the guy who designed and built it all in the first place?
You can tune in to God, you can listen to him by reading the Bible. For some people picking it up for the first time that can be a challenge, so it can be helpful to have someone explain it, which is one of the reasons people go to church.
If you’d like to tune in to God, I’d be happy to give you a Bible as a gift (and some free advice on how to use it). And you’d be welcome at St Mark’s any Sunday; you’ll find friendly TRAX faces at each of our Sunday services. For details visit www.stmarks.com.au
Craig Schafer
TRAX President & St Mark’s Rector