Have you ever used the expression “…on a wing and a prayer” ? Do you ever wonder how these idioms get started and go back to look them up. Well I did just that this morning.
Turns out the expression originated during World War ll from the film “The Flying Tigers” when one of the pilots lost one wing of his plane and was attempting to land on “just a wing and a prayer”.
When God is building our faith, He often puts us in situations where our resources appear to fall well short of the need. But He typically doesn’t just say, “all right, out of the way, I’ll handle this.” No. He requires that we make use of the little we have and then pray for Him to miraculously stretch it to meet the present need. He seems to prefer to take the little we have and multiply it, instead of creating something from nothing. Why?
I think it is because God wants us to partner with Him, work together. He wants a relationship. If you look back on the creation account in Genesis, it seems this was the last time God made something out of nothing. Once man entered the scene, God began to enlist him in everything He wanted to do on this earth.
Adam had a garden to work, Noah an arc to build, Moses had a stick and Esther had influence. You might recall a young shepherd boy soon to be king whom you might say was, “livin’ on a sling and a prayer.”
Too often, we think like Andrew when he was faced with a hungry crowd of thousands. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
We see our lack and assume God must not be asking anything of us. But that isn’t how God wants us to think. Quite often, the place of our insufficiency is exactly where God wants us to jump in.
Where do you feel you are already stretched too thin? Why not ask God if He wants to do something there. Is it time? Money? Maybe you think of yourself as the one talent guy in the parable. Here’s a tip. Don’t bury it!
Prayerfully consider if God is asking you to partner with Him in the work at First Priority. Good things continue to unfold! This school year we have seen over 150 decisions to follow Jesus!
So pick up your sling, give it a whirl, say a prayer and let’s see this GIANT of unbelief in our schools come tumbling down!
Sincerely,
David North
