Compliments from Billy Graham’s picture
May 18 – Wind from God
Psalm 78:26: He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens And by His power He directed the south wind.
“The fog is too thick. We cannot land to refuel.” Those were the words of the pilot over the loudspeaker of the airplane.John Hall and his wife Cuba prayed. Here they were in the Assemblies of God Speed the Light airplane known as the “Ambassador”. It was an army surplus C-46 airplane. But would this be the “Ambassador’s” last flight? Would this be the end of John and Cuba Hall and their fellow friends aboard this airplane out in the middle of the ocean?The “Ambassador” had left the airport in Iceland for the long flight to the United States. They had been delivering supplies to other missionaries in need. Now it was the long flight home. That is, until the storm hit.
From Iceland, the next refueling stop was in Greenland. When they got within 200 miles, the radio tower said fog was rolling in and landing was impossible. The plane had been flying for many hours, and they were well past the half-way point. It was too late to return to Iceland. To make matters worse, they ran into big storms with huge head winds pushing against the plane. The plane was using its powerful engines to push through the storm. They were gaining steady ground, but the plane was going through fuel at a rapid pace.
The people on board the plane prayed! “We’re running out of fuel, God,” they cried. ” Help us, please!” They prayed and they prayed!
The pilot searched and searched but couldn’t find a way around the storm. The head winds were just too strong, and the winds kept pushing the plane back. More and more fuel was being used. Soon the plane would be on empty. Would this be the end of them? Would this be the last flight of the “Ambassador”?
The pilot did everything he could. He weakened the gas mixture. He shifted the heavier passengers and some of the luggage forward. He also explained the use of the life jackets and the rubber life rafts to the passengers so they would be prepared if the plane crashed into the ocean. Through all this, they continued to pray.
Then the pilot had an idea. He went down through the thick clouds and flew within 1,000 feet of the ocean. The plane was so close to the water that the the passengers could see the reflection of the airplane in the ocean. They continued to pray. Suddenly, the plane lurched forward. Something was pushing the plane! The pilot shouted that some sort of a 50 mile an hour tailwind was pushing the plane forward past the strong head winds that were trying to push the plane backwards.The tailwind continued all the way to the airport. The plane safely landed with only the tiniest amount of fuel left on board! God had miraculously provided a strong tailwind to push the plane forward so only a small amount of fuel was used. As a result, the plane didn’t run out of fuel and the plane didn’t crash. God kept them safe!
A concert of praise to God for His goodness could be heard on the plane as they landed at the airport. God had answered the prayers of all of them and spared their lives.
Wind from God: (Note: Information for this story was found in the January 1998 edition of the Pentecostal Evangel.)
Comments