Tarmac Tragedy

Both pilots of a passenger plane that collided with a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport over the weekend are dead, and many of the crew and passengers are injured. The accident happened shortly before midnight Sunday and just after the plane had touched down. A fire truck responding to the needs of another plane failed to yield to the landing plane and was struck at a high speed. The nose of the plane was decimated but most of the passenger compartment remained intact. A flight attendant who was ejected from the plane survived, as did all the passengers. The official investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Analysis and eternal perspective: We begin, as is our habit, by praying for those who have suffered loss. “Father, we pray you would wrap your arms of love and comfort around the families of these two pilots. May your presence sustain them, and may they draw near to you in a real and lasting way.”

Next, this story reminds us that life is but a vapor, here in one moment and gone in the next (Jam. 4:14). The impact of this reality depends on the posture of your spirit. If you are clinging to the flesh of your physical being, it will cause you great fear and trepidation. But if you are secure in the promise of eternity, it should actually be quite liberating because you know your eternity is secure and your days on Earth are numbered and purposed by the One who guards and protects you (Ps. 139:16).

So as you pray for those who are grieving, take honest stock of your posture regarding the fragility of your own human life. If that reality gives you a spirit of fear, it is time to humbly ask your heavenly Father to intervene and replace that fear with His promises of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

My friend, you don’t have to live in fear. You should not live in fear. Fear is a tactic of the enemy, and he has no power over you. Your security is rooted in that which is beyond his reach.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Ps. 139:16).