On
November 7, 2008, sixty-five year old Jim O’Neal set out from Glasgow,
Scotland, to Colchester, England, in a two-seat Cessna 150E. Although Jim
was a businessman, he also had eighteen years experience as a pilot, and
that day he was the only person in the plane.
At
4,500 meters, Jim instruments suddenly became fuzzy. Sunshine reflection,
he thought. But he quickly realized that he had become blind in one eye and
that his second eye had also been affected.
In
actuality, Jim had suffered a stroke, and a blood clot was pressing against
his optic nerve—causing blindness in one eye and interfering with sight in
the other eye.
Jim radioed the tower at an airport and told them the bad news. Jim’s
inability to see resulted in his altitude falling to a very unsafe 1,600
meters. The tower tried to talk him down to a safe landing, but after six
unsuccessful attempts they gave up.
The tower instructed Jim to fly to a military airfield that had an
extra-wide and extra-long runway. They also sent another small airplane
aloft to fly along side of Jim’s plane. The pilot of the second plane
talked to Jim over the radio and told him exactly what to do. “You do what
I do,” he said. He flew next to Jim and they approached the runway
together, and both men landed safely.
We can apply this true story to the relationship
between a Christian and the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, in John chapter
fourteen, verses 16-17, Jesus told his disciples, “And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even
the Spirit of truth…” “Helper” in the original language is parakalew
(parakello), which means “call beside me” to aid me. God sends the
Holy Spirit alongside Christians to aid them, in the same way that the tower
sent the second aircraft pilot alongside Jim to help him to land safely.
Christians often face the problems of
life—health issues, aging and death, economic problems, scholastic and
vocational difficulties, predicaments between people, etc. When we pray and
ask for God’s assistance, Jesus and the Holy Spirit come alongside us and
help us. God favors us and listens to our prayers. The Holy Spirit comes
beside us to help, strengthen and comfort us—just like Jesus’ word
parakello indicated.
After Jim O’Neal returned safely to terra
firma he could not help but express thanks to the people in the tower
and to the second pilot for saving his life. I believe that, in a similar
way, Christians cannot help but thank Jesus and the Holy Spirit for their
presence and help. Christians look upward and see God’s grace, bow their
heads in thanksgiving, and open their mouths to tell others of God’s
greatness and goodness.
Are you a Christian? If not, may I urge you to read the Bible, listen to
Jesus, trust and obey him—believe, repent and be baptized—and become a
Christian! Then, when the problems of life cause everything to go fuzzy,
God will send his Holy Spirit alongside you—to help you, comfort you and
give you strength.