So, skydiving. I’m certain there are marvelous parallels to be drawn between this experience and my walk with God. I just need to use my brain, which can sometimes be an issue during the summer…
1) Patience: before I could do my tandem we had to wait for the skies to clear up. My jump was cancelled altogether on Friday (June 12) and on Sunday (June 14) we again had to wait a while for the rain to pass. Often my life is like that with God – I get excited about doing something or I want something to happen and am praying about it, but ultimately God’s timing is perfect. It’s hard to be patient, but it’s worth it. God knows what He’s doing.
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13-14)
2) Preparation: once the weather had cleared up, I had to get geared up (like my rhyme there?). Nothing would be more stupid than jumping out of a plane without the proper equipment (although it would certainly give you that craved adrenaline rush). Our life of faith is similar. Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God. Although our lives may seem comfortable at times and we may believe we’re okay without feeding ourselves with God’s word or we have nothing to pray about, that’s a lie. Spiritual battles are constant and if we’re not prepared, we’re giving Satan an easy job.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand agains the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but...the powers of this dark world and...spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God...the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace...take up the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions...be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:11-18)
3) Faith (I wish I could’ve made this another ‘p’ and been all pastor-like): no matter how many times a person has jumped out of an airplane, each time they do so they’re taking a risk. There’s always a chance that something will go wrong – the chute won’t open properly or the landing will go badly. Yet they do it over and over again. As Christians, we often have to take such “leaps of faith”. Our futures are uncertain and we never know when problems will occur. But we have an assurance much greater than that of skydiving gear – we have the love and protection of the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, the Greatest Love of all. So just tell me where to jump…
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
