Where do you feel closest to God?

It could be at home or in the garden, it could be in a church or perhaps a special place in the country you like to visit where you sense God’s closeness. This question came to mind one day as I took off in a Tiger moth biplane at Duxford as a gift for my fortieth birthday.

It was beautiful day, not a cloud in the deep blue sky, and you could see for miles over the Cambridgeshire countryside. 

The 15-minute flight, which included a barrel roll and an opportunity to take the controls was certainly memorable, became even more so as we came into land. A sudden gust of wind caught us on our final approach, and we did a Barnes Wallis bouncing bomb landing. So, to answer the question, while you might think I felt closer to God in the air, I felt closer to God in my landing! 

While we cannot see or touch God in those hairy moments, Psalm 139 gives us reassurance of his loving presence. 

He knows when we sit down and when we get up and when we go out and when we lie down. He knows all our ways. He knows what words we are about to say before we even utter them. He hems us in and surrounds us with his protection. God lays his hand upon us: He does this in such a way that we cannot go from His Spirit or flee from his presence. When we fly up to the heavens he is there; when we are making our bed in the depths, He is there. We can rise up on the wings of the dawn and settle on the far side of the sea, but God knows exactly where we are, and His hands guide us and hold us fast. Wherever we go and whatever we do God is everywhere and all we have to do is trust him that he will help us, and he does so.

Blessings and prayers for safe and happy landings in 2025. 

Pastor Robert on behalf of Headcorn Baptist Church.