Recently, a young American pilot was shot and killed in a remote area overseas where we lived for 5 years. He wasn’t a commercial pilot; he was a mission pilot. His job was to connect extremely isolated villages to health care and education. The rebels who killed him don’t want any outsiders in the area they claim as their own. After they murdered the 30-year-old pilot, they burned the mission plane. The plane they burned carried gravely ill villagers to hospital, brought needed supplies to the villages, and was their connection to the outside world. The rebels have been murdering unarmed women nurses and teachers from the outside as well as indigenous women who dare to help raise the people out of ignorance and poverty.
Then we read a friend’s FB post about the young pilot. She knew him, and respected his selfless service. It started to hit us harder. Why would anyone want to stop his service to the outer fringes of human habitation? Who wants mothers with labor complications to die in their hut when they could be flown to the hospital and saved? Who wants remote village children to be uneducated with no hope for their future? Hint: Satan motivates people to do his favorite jobs- kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10)
If you’re interested: Short video of a typical flight in the mountainous area where this mission flies. Not the pilot that was shot, but his co-worker. https://youtube.com/shorts/3bJzWolaivU?si=9PhHFJVIm3bKwCpB and https://youtube.com/shorts/wlpZGz5g2_M?si=ukVsbzE2HRzzqRwE
Then we read a FB post from a family who is with the same mission organization we were with. They are due to return to the very area where this execution took place. They have heard the threats of the rebels- don’t come here or we will kill you. They are struggling. What is the obedient thing to do in God’s eyes? The prudent thing to do? Dear Husband and I looked at each other. We never had to face death when we served there. Our hearts break for the brave people who serve God, and for the marginalized who are, once again, the victims. What can stop this evil?
You know the feeling. You get news of something bad happening, you feel sad, you pray, but then the ramifications of that event start to dawn on you. More information brings deeper sorrow. You wrestle with it as you try to sleep. You wake up thinking about it. The event may have affected those you don’t personally know, but their work is dear to your heart. Or it may be someone very close to you. Big questions bubble up. What should they do? More important, what does God want them to do? Is there something I should do? Do I have any responsibility in this situation? What could God be doing through this event? What do I know about God that will help me think/feel about this in a constructive, not negative way?
In this case, we don’t know what the mission pilots should do. Should they protect their lives and the expensive tool, the planes, that do such good work for the poor? Or should they push back against the rebels by defying their threats and risk losing the ability to help altogether? This clearly isn’t a decision I have to make. I have no responsibility in this situation. We are retired and won’t be returning to this part of the world. I have no influence on anyone who is involved. But I can pray for wisdom for those involved. Now I need to search for God in this situation so I don’t slip under a dark cloud that drains me emotionally and takes energy from what I am responsible for. What do I know about God that will help me think and feel the right way about this sad mess?
Our understanding of God enables us to take refuge in the One that doesn’t change with circumstances. He is always faithful and ready to hold us close, giving us peace and comfort. We can count on him being what he says he is. (You may want to copy and paste for days you need reminding.)
God is compassionate–
“But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15
God is sovereign–
“O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do?” Deuteronomy 3:24 Moses after the defeat of King Sihon and King Og
God has good plans for those who are obedient-
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
God sees–
She said, “You are the God who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Sarah, after God revealed water to her in the desert
Jesus is with us
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
God’s ways are beyond our understanding–
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9
God cares–
“And you saw how the Lord your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.” Deuteronomy 1:31 Moses
“He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.” Deuteronomy 32:10
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7
God’s plans aren’t thwarted–
“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:11
God brings good even out of evil-
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 Joseph speaking to his brothers who years earlier had sold him into slavery
Evil won’t have the final say–
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . nor anything . . ., will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31, 37, 39
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58