Last week I received some news about a long time friend. She and her family members went up in a small plane in Florida and during the flight, went off course, ran into some wires and crashed. No one survived. She was my age and was in my youth group at the church I grew up in. Just last month she buried her mom and now this. The family members surviving those that were on that plane are in shock as you can well imagine. This Saturday we are gathering to remember her life at her funeral.

I remember getting the email and thinking, "why?" Why did my friend's life get cut short? Our lives are so precious, so brief, like a breath on a winter morning that you can see for a moment and then it disappears. My thoughts turned to my family. I am about to get on a plane to Indonesia in a few days to share the gospel in Bali. I thought of how I'm leaving Missy and the kids for thirteen days. I thought about the fact that if I get on that plane that I might not see them again.

The only solace that came to me was the fact that God has things He wants me to accomplish in this life and He's not going to call me home until I get those things accomplished! He's in control. I can't live in fear. I need to live in that place where I know I'm in God's hands.

Psalm 119:50
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

-andy