Landing on an Aircraft Carrier by Lori Hatcher

Landing on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most difficult things a navy pilot will ever do. The flight deck only has about 500 feet of runway space for landing planes. In order to land on the deck, the pilot must catch his plane’s tail hook on one of four arresting wires stretched across the deck of the carrier. If the pilot is successful and snags an arresting wire, it pulls the wire, stopping the plane.


According to the website "How Stuff Works," the arresting wire system can stop a 54,000-pound aircraft travelling 150 miles per hour in only two seconds.

There are two critical steps to the success of each landing. The first is that the pilot catches hold of the arresting wire with his plane’s tail hook. The second is that the arresting wire is strong enough to hold the plane and keep it from skidding off the runway, crashing into the sea.


David said to the Lord in Psalm 140, “You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord . . . the strength of my salvation.” Like the pilot on the aircraft carrier snagged the wire, trusting it to save him, David reached out to the Lord in faith. And like the super-strong arresting wire that keeps planes safe, God is strong enough to hold anyone who places his trust in Him.


Because the strength of our salvation is the Lord, and there is nothing stronger than God, we can rest secure. We know that it is not our strength that determines our success, but God’s. My pastor once said, “The Christian life is not about me holding on to God, but about God holding on to me.” Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we trust in the name of the LORD our God. (Ps 20:7)


Subscribe to WOW and have other great devotions like this sent to your email box twice weekly. To subscribe, see the FEEDBURNER tool on the right sidebar!

Lori Hatcher lives in Columbia, SC, and is the wife of a youth pastor, homeschooling mother of two lovely young women, part-time dental hygienist, published writer, and author of the blog “Be Not Weary.”