Have you ever had one of those moments where everything suddenly stops?
Not in a peaceful, contemplative way—but in a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, what-now kind of way. One moment, life is cruising along. Next, something shifts. The job you counted on falls through. The diagnosis you never saw coming hits. The relationship you were certain of dissolves. You’re left hanging in mid-air, unsure where to land. We all hit turbulence in life—but some of us have lived through full-blown freefall.
That was the case for two men flying a microlight aircraft over the Pelorus Sound in New Zealand’s South Island. Grant Stubbs and Owen Wilson, both Christians from Blenheim, were out flying when their engine suddenly spluttered, coughed, and died. No warning. No backup. They were in a tiny, home-built plane, gliding powerless over steep terrain. And yet, as Grant later told reporters, their first instinct was to pray:
“My friend and I are both Christians so our immediate reaction in a life-threatening situation was to ask for God’s help.”
They prayed they’d clear the ridge ahead. They asked for a place to land. And just as they crested the hill—no engine, no power, no plan—there it was: a small grassy airstrip they didn’t even know existed. Owen guided the plane safely down. And standing just beside the strip? A towering 20-foot sign that read:
“Jesus is Lord — The Bible.”
It was more than a coincidence. It was a reminder: when the engine fails and the world tilts, Jesus is still Lord.
What can this teach us about prayer, about God’s providence, and the lordship of Christ? Let’s explore three truths that rise from this moment and land squarely in the middle of our lives.
1. When Life Spins Out, Prayer Isn’t a Last Resort—It’s a First Response
Let’s go back to what Grant Stubbs said:
“Our immediate reaction… was to ask for God’s help.”
Immediate. Not secondary. Not a last-ditch move. Their reflex was prayer. Why? Because prayer is the natural response of a heart that walks with God. For many of us, prayer is the emergency brake—we yank it if we must, but we’d rather steer things ourselves. But biblical faith doesn’t mean fixing everything before we pray. It means knowing we were never meant to be in control, to begin with.
“Pray without ceasing.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:17
That doesn’t mean closing your eyes while driving or mumbling all day. It means prayer becomes the oxygen of our life with God. A daily, moment-by-moment rhythm. When the engine fails, we don’t suddenly start trusting God—we simply continue what we’ve already been doing. Stubbs and Wilson didn’t weigh options. They didn’t strategize. They prayed. Because they’d already built a life rooted in prayer.
As Richard Foster once said,
*“Prayer is not just another discipline to master—it’s the path into the very heart of God.”*¹
Many today are spiritually breathless—not because God is far, but because they only breathe occasionally.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
— Psalm 34:17–18
Maybe you’re in freefall right now. The relationship is unraveling. The financial pressure is mounting. The diagnosis is in limbo. Let me ask you—when the bottom falls out, is prayer your first instinct or your last?
The more we walk with God in the quiet, the quicker we’ll run to Him in the storm.
2. God’s Providence Is Precise—Even in Powerless Moments
After they landed, Owen Wilson said:
“If it had run out five minutes earlier, we would have been in deep trouble.”
Five minutes. That was the difference between disaster and deliverance.
Have you ever looked back on a hard season and realized how God’s timing was better than your plan? What felt terrifying at the moment becomes—on reflection—evidence of His care.
The Bible is full of such moments.
Joseph was thrown in a pit, sold, imprisoned, and forgotten. And then—at just the right time—he’s called to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, which saves an entire nation (Genesis 41). Esther is made queen “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Ruth “just happens” to glean in Boaz’s field (Ruth 2:3).
Coincidence? No. Providence.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28
Note: it doesn’t say all things are good. It says God works them together for good.
Even the crash landings. Even the silence. Even the sickness. That airstrip was unknown to those pilots—but not to God. He’s never late. He’s never panicking. He sees what we can’t. He prepares what we don’t know we’ll need.
Consider Bamboo
Bamboo is a fascinating plant. For years after it’s planted, there’s no visible growth. But underground, roots are spreading deep and wide. Then, at the right moment, it shoots up—sometimes over a meter per day.
That’s what providence looks like. You may feel stuck, stalled, or left behind. But beneath the surface, God is preparing and sustaining. And when it’s time? Growth will come. And you’ll realize He was at work all along.Even when your engine fails, God’s plan doesn’t.
3. God Still Sends Signs to Remind Us Who’s in Charge
The cherry on top of this story?
The sign.
“Jesus is Lord — The Bible.”
It sounds like a movie scene. But it happened. And it wasn’t just coincidence—it was confirmation. God didn’t just answer their prayer. He signed His name under it.
Of course, we don’t follow God because of signs. Jesus warned:
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. — Matthew 12:39
We follow Christ by faith. Not by billboards. But in His mercy, God sometimes meets us in our weakness with unmistakable reminders that He is near. Gideon asked for a fleece—not out of bold faith, but trembling fear—and God graciously gave it (Judges 6:36–40).
God still sends signs today. Sometimes they’re dramatic. Other times they’re quiet: a Scripture perfectly timed, a conversation that pierces your heart, a song that feels written for your season.
Have you had one of those moments?
The chaos closes in… and then a stillness, a word, a sign. And your soul whispers: God sees me.
Stubbs and Wilson didn’t just land beside a sign. They landed in the care of the One whose sign declared:
Jesus is Lord.
The Sign Still Stands
This is the heart of the story. Yes, God answered their prayer. Yes, He guided their landing. But all of it pointed to a deeper truth:
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:10–11
At the end of the day, our stories aren’t about survival. They’re about surrender. Jesus doesn’t want to be your emergency parachute. He came to be your King. He died and rose again so that you could have life—secure, unshakeable, eternal.
Maybe today, your soul feels like that microlight—out of fuel, out of power, gliding toward the unknown. You’re not sure where to land. Here’s the good news: Jesus sees. He knows. And He’s already made a way. Don’t wait for a crash to turn to Christ. Don’t wait for a crisis to discover your Savior.
He is Lord. He is near. And the sign still stands.
Land your heart there—today—and never take off without Him again.
Notes
¹ Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home
