ON A WING AND A PRAYER

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn't grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted.

Isaiah 40:28-29

The saying, "On a wing and a prayer," is believed to have originated during World War II. In 1942 John Wayne starred in a movie titled, The Flying Tigers. At one point, He asks a question concerning the status of a plane hit by the enemy. The answer was, "She's coming in on a wing and a prayer." Shortly after this film, the lyrics to a 1943 song was titled, "Coming In On A Wing And A Prayer," and a movie titled, "Wing and Prayer."

The phrase is slightly sarcastic, meaning it's only by luck that everything will go well. As Christians, we do not have to buy into a slogan of chance. As the enemy attacks us, we can hold onto the truth.

Are we blasted by a pandemic that has separated us physically?  Are we hit with aging bodies of aches and pain that debilitate us? Are we battered with minds, eyes, ears, and reflexes that grow less sharp? Are we pummeled with wars, riots, and unrest? Are our energy fuel tanks almost depleted? Do we feel like we are heading to the finish line, the runway to home, on fewer engines than we had planned? 

In faith, we can know that God never tires. Although it is a myth that Eagles carry their chicks on their wings, it is not a myth that God will lift us on His wings to help us on our path to the runway. His arms are the precise place where He wants us. 

We are asked these questions from verse 28 of Isaiah 40, "Don't you know? Haven't you heard?" We answer with a resounding, "No! We don't know, and we couldn't hear it." 

God will answer in His still small voice, "Let me be your knowledge and let me be your ears," As we stumble, God picks us up. As we grow weary and exhausted, God gives us his strength. As our minds grow fuzzy, Christ will be our clarity. Though our legs may not be able to run, Christ has already won the race.

We can fight as we limp along in our waning physical and mental power, or we can surrender. Surrendering does not make us losers because we are not yielding to the enemy. We submit to the victor. We will fully understand and rest in Philippians 4:13 from the Common English Bible, "I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength." We acknowledge our strength from the Lord when we change our prayers from, "Ready or not, here we come on a wing and a prayer," to . . . 

Here we come, Lord. We know you have always been ready and willing to be our strong wings. We believe, by the faith you have given us, that all is truly well. Amen