A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers   

Isaiah 59:1, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” On July 25, 2000, Air France Concorde flight 4590 crashed on takeoff in Paris. A hundred passengers were killed along with nine crew and four people on the ground as the Concorde banked, stalled, and then plunged to the ground, exploding on impact. The cause of the crash was a sixteen-inch strip of metal on the runway. The metal burst one of the aircraft’s tires, and debris from the blowout ruptured a fuel tank in the aircraft’s wing. With the plane on fire, the pilot could not halt the takeoff, though he planned to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport. His last words, as he fought to save his stricken craft were, “too late.” You see, friend, the aircraft had reached the point during takeoff when the plane was “committed.” That is, due to the plane’s speed and ensuing lift, the pilot could no longer reverse the process. It was indeed “too late.” Notice our Scripture lesson today. Through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel, who had drifted far away in their relationship with the Lord, He reminded them that no matter how far they were away from Him, His hand could still reach them and His ear could still hear their plea for reconciliation. In concise terms, the Lord was saying, “It’s never too late.” You may feel like the pilot of the doomed Concorde and think you have gone beyond the point of no return. You have taxied down the runway of life and built up so much momentum that you are committed to your present course. Yet the Lord wants to remind you today that it is never too late. It is never too late to change direction. You have not passed the point of no return. There is hope. God has not given you this day to see your life go down in flames, but God has given you this day for a new beginning. Trust Him by faith, and He will pilot you safely with a new course, into the bright horizons that can be yours with this new day.