[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Jan/2019]
This question is not addressed to those frustrated clients of a well-known budget airline, nor is for those classic car aficionados with long memories. Rather, it has a maritime context. The role of the pilot is to guide the captain of a vessel through difficult waters. He is aware of the shoals and reefs that present a risk and he is able to follow the twists and turns of a safe channel. Perhaps one of the most reassuring aspects of having a pilot is that he has been there before – he has practical experience of what the vessel is going through.
I recall my great-grandfather at the age of 94 looking back over his life and saying that he would not change one day of it. He may have been suffering a bout of selective senility but I rather think that he was reflecting that God had guided his life perfectly and that everything had come together for his good.
Psalm 107 records: He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.
As we enter a new year, how many of us would forgo an opportunity to change something about the past year? Was there a misspoken word that was not easily corrected; an opportunity that was missed, or perhaps one that should have been allowed to pass? Do the experiences of the past year feed our worries about the new one?
My great-grandfather, like his father before him, had placed his faith in Jesus Christ as his personal pilot. As we start another year, do you feel the need for someone who both knows what is coming and knows the way through it?
Consider the words of Eric Swinstead:
Do you want a Pilot? Signal then to Jesus;
Do you want a Pilot? Bid Him come on board;
For He will safely guide across the oceans wide
Until you reach at last the Heavenly Harbour.
This pilot is still available, he understands our circumstances and he is fully qualified to steer our way through whatever the new year will bring. He is just waiting to be invited to come alongside.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
