Spiritual Pest Control
“Because he has focused his love on me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress. I will deliver him, and I will honor him.”
Psalm 91:14-15 ISV
The early days of aviation were filled with both great risk and great reward. Daredevils such as Charles Lindbergh, and those who followed after him, continually pushed the boundaries of their frail planes as they flew them over ever-increasing distances.
There were many attempts at flying around the globe. One such attempt took place in 1924. The man and his plane successfully completed the first leg, landing safely in a pasture on the east coast where he refueled.
He then took off for the harrowing flight over the Atlantic. Two hours into that part of his journey, he heard a scratching sound inside the fuselage of his aircraft.
The pilot was puzzled and then realized that while he had been on the ground, a rat had crawled in and was now gnawing on the steering cable. If that continued, the cable would eventually snap, and he’d plummet to his death in the ocean.
With no possibility of landing and no way of increasing his speed, the aviator was filled with terror. And then he had a life-saving thought: Rats are made to live on the ground, not in the sky.
He pulled the nose of the plane up and climbed higher and higher…up another 2000 feet. The gnawing slowed and then stopped. He leveled off, calmly flew on, landed safely, and threw out the now very dead rat.
What’s gnawing at your peace?
When you stop and think about it, this is exactly what worship does. The rodents of your life aren’t meant to live in the presence of God. Worship takes you to heights where worry, anxiety, stress, and fear wither away and cease to gnaw at your peace.
Worship takes you to heights where worry, anxiety, stress, and fear wither away and cease to gnaw at your peace.
The verse noted above declares the importance of keeping your focus on the One who promises to be with us in our times of distress. It goes on to declare that He is in fact fully able to deliver us from that distress.
What “rats” are gnawing at your peace these days? Worries about your health? Concerns about your financial situation? Challenges with your children? Difficulties in your job?
Life on this earth can certainly be trying. And those pesky rodents can all too easily squirm their way in.
But, while you may not be able to keep them out, you don’t have to remain at their mercy. Adjust your altitude to a higher level by taking on the transcendent attitude of worship. As you do, your rats won’t be able to survive.
Now wouldn’t that be the preferred way to fly?
PRAYER
Lord, all too often it seems like I can actually hear the rats gnawing away at my peace. And I know that left unattended they will bring me down. When those occasions arise, help me to focus on You by singing songs of praise or reading words of worship. That sort of “spiritual pest control” will work every time
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