FLIGHT TRACKER

FLIGHT TRACKER

(A FRIEND STORY)

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place.”

This morning my husband Simon left suddenly to the USA, after receiving word that his elderly mother’s health had taken a turn for the worse. We couldn’t afford trans-Atlantic airfare for two, so here I am, home alone and already missing Simon.

I’ve been combating loneliness by keeping busy, and between catching up on housework and checking email, I came across a real-time “flight tracker” on the Internet. Since then I’ve gone back to that screen every couple of hours to follow Simon’s progress as his plane passed over the vast expanse of ocean, reached landfall, and is now making its way down the eastern coast of North America. Even though Simon has no idea I am “watching” in this way, knowing where he is at the moment gives me a curious sense of comfort.

A few minutes ago the thought struck me that this is how God is with us. He’s always watching and knows right where we are in our flight schedule, and unlike me, He doesn’t take His eye off the “screen” even for a moment. “His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps.”

Three thousand miles across ocean and land. That’s how far Simon has traveled since he left home. But with God, there is no such distance. He is always right here with us. The psalmist David wrote, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

The flight tracker is showing his approach to Philadelphia now. The Lord is always tracking us too. Are we heading in the right direction, walking in the path of His choosing, the path that leads to happiness and Him? “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy.”

I just checked the screen again. Simon’s plane is descending. Dear Lord, please give them a safe landing. “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in.”

No matter where life takes us, we have an invisible guide who is watching, loving, never neglecting us for a moment, and taking care of us each step of the way.

I’m considerably cheered up—and look, my prayers have been answered. The plane has landed.

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Proverbs 15:3 (NIV) The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

Job 34:21 (NIV) His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step.

Psalm 139:8–10 (NIV) If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)