A Wing and a Prayer

by David C. Campbell

When you’re flying in zero visibility, you have to rely on your instruments, not your judgement, to guide you. In life, prayer is the instrument that guides you through clouds of darkness and into the light.

White puffs of frozen breath tickled my nose as I twisted the key in the lock on hangar 20, row four. It opened with a click, and John and I worked together to pull the dilapidated doors wide apart to reveal our pride and joy—a shiny blue-and-white, single-engine Piper Dakota airplane, number 80838. We had come to the airport for flying practice for John, who was working on getting an instrument rating. I was to be the safety or copilot, and John’s son Duane had come along just for the ride.

The asphalt pavement was damp with moisture from a low layer of fog which had enveloped the valley. Visibility was down to less than a mile on the ground, but if you looked straight up at the sky you could see the round lustrous disk of the sun trying to shine through. I let John preflight the airplane while I closed the hangar doors. Then with anticipation of an enjoyable morning the three of us climbed aboard.

“Salt Lake Clearance, this is Dakota 80838. IFR clearance on request to Brigham City for a practice ADF approach,” John’s voice crackled in my headphones. As we waited for clearance to go, I explained some of the instruments and procedures to Duane, who was sitting in the back seat. Each instrument has an important purpose and each must be checked for accuracy to ensure a safe flight through the fog. The compass, the directional gyro, altitude indicator, and especially the VOR were all important for this flight because we would be taking off in very marginal conditions and could possibly be coming back to land in even more reduced visibility.

The fog seemed to be getting more dense the longer we waited to go. The cold temperature inside the cockpit caused our breath to condense on the windows, making it even more difficult to see. I could sense that Duane was just a little nervous about the whole experience, but he didn’t say a word. John did the pretakeoff run-up, called the tower, and then we were on our way, straight down the runway.

The soft muted glow of the runway lights slipped by faster and faster as the little plane gained speed. Then suddenly we were airborne. The runway disappeared below us, and within what seemed like only a few seconds, we were enveloped in a soft gray nothingness. The roar of the engine filled our ears, and I had the feeling that we were beginning to turn to the left. As safety pilot I had been watching the instruments carefully and noted that we were holding our correct heading, our pitch was okay, and altitude proper. My feelings were all in my mind. We were on instruments and had to trust them now no matter what our other senses might try to tell us.

I remembered hearing stories when I was first learning to fly about pilots who got into clouds and tried to follow their senses instead of the instruments. They would go into what was called a “graveyard spiral.” The pilot begins to turn slightly and loses a little of the normal lift of the wing. To correct this the pilot pulls back a little on the yoke, which tightens the turn and makes him lose more lift, a cycle which keeps getting worse as he pulls back harder and harder, eventually spiraling him right into the ground.

We had only been airborne a few minutes, but it seemed longer, when the gray mist around us began to get brighter and brighter. Then, like flipping on a brilliant radiant light, we broke out on top and sunlight bathed our faces. Above, the sky was blue and bright. Below, the entire valley looked like a gigantic ocean filled with white frothy water. The mountains raised their snow-covered peaks in majestic grandeur. Duane smiled, I smiled, and John smiled. It is a challenge to fly for the first time under real instrument conditions while in training, and John had done well.

The rest of the flight went smoothly. We flew along the charted course and made an instrument approach into Brigham City, then headed back. The sea of clouds was still there, and as we got closer to home, I could once again feel the tension rising just a little from the back seat. I knew Duane trusted his dad, but he was still wondering just how we would get back down through this when we couldn’t see.

We were descending now, and the clouds were getting closer. Soon they closed in around us, and once again there was nothing to see but dull gray mist. The sound of the engine seemed to get louder, and our eyes strained to see something—anything that would give us a clue of our position. Nothing came. A minute went by, then two. The cross needles were centered on the instruments, speed was okay, we should be all right. Suddenly there was a flash, a brilliant, yet fog-shrouded light, then another and another and then a whole line of bright white lights leading our little plane right out of the murk and in perfect position to land on the broad expanse of runway that we could now make out before us. The landing was smooth, and although two of us had been through this before, there were three silent sighs of relief when we felt the wheels touch the ground. It had been a great day.

As we taxied back toward the hangar, I turned in the seat and said to Duane, “Well, how did you like flying through the clouds?”

“Oh, it was okay,” he answered. “I sure felt like Enos though.”

“Enos?” I asked, “What do you mean?”

“I just prayed a lot,” said Duane, and we all laughed together.

Thoughts of divine help and guidance seem to come quickly to our minds when we are fearful or under some kind of pressure. I was not really surprised at Duane’s comment, but as I have pondered it since, I am impressed with how very important it is to be “like Enos” every day of our lives.

Young people often think that it is only important to pray when some special needs are present, or that prayers are just a mundane part of life to be said at mealtimes, with your family when it is “your turn,” or when you go to bed at night. Some even think that prayer is for sissies or those who can’t really “cut it” as a man.

Actually nothing could be further from the truth. Prayer is our direct contact with God, the Father of us all. It is the medium whereby we can gain direction and guidance in our lives. Humble prayer bends us to the humility necessary so that we can receive the blessing of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. If you want to be a great man or woman, you must learn to pray personally and privately to your Father in Heaven. There are no truly great persons who have not recognized this truth and followed it. Oh, there may be some who have achieved fame or riches, but they lack the depth of personal understanding that makes one truly great. That depth can only come through building a relationship with God.

Some may say, “I have tried to pray, but my prayers are never answered.” Often we just don’t recognize the answer when it comes, or we haven’t really tried to find it for ourselves. Remember the counsel the Lord gave to Oliver Cowdery regarding this, “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it [the question] out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong” (D&C 9:8–9).

The Lord also counseled us in the Doctrine and Covenants to “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not” (D&C 8:10; italics added).

Sometimes when we are praying for things we want, we forget to consider what the broader consequences might be if the Lord were to answer our every prayer. If you ask the Lord to prevent a rainstorm so that you can go boating, while hundreds of others are praying for rain to save their crops, chances are that your prayer may be answered “No, not today.” This is a simple example, but it illustrates the point. We must try to determine when our desires are worthy of divine intervention. Many times the Lord will provide opportunities that look like no fun at all; yet if we accept them, after a time has passed, we discover that what we wanted in our prayer has been achieved. Sometimes it seems almost like a miracle.

The Lord doesn’t always make us wait. Some things are needed right now, and he has promised that if we pray in faith, nothing wavering, our prayers will be answered. Those kinds of answers don’t come every day because they are not needed every day. When they are needed, it really helps if you have been in regular communication with Heavenly Father. He knows you well, but you need to let him know personally how you are doing. Then when you are in a spot where you need quick guidance or intervention, he will answer you.

While some prayers are answered right away, others take a long, long time. And some take very hard work on our part to make them come to pass. All prayers are important and each prayer you utter adds fiber and strength to your spiritual being. When you are concerned about anything in your life, seek your Father in Heaven. Don’t do it just for show where people can see you and hear what you say, but do it for yourself. Be private and personal in your prayers. Really talk to God like you would to your earthly father. Dare to become great by seeking humility through prayer.

The Lord sends many signals to guide us through the dark and sometimes foggy paths of this life. They will keep you safe if you follow them carefully, just as we followed our instruments in Dakota 80838. The prophet Alma pled with the people of his day, “that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering” (Alma 13:28). Just like the signals in the plane, however, prayer only works correctly if you are “tuned in.” So get tuned in. Seek for the guidance the Lord wants you to have in your life. We’ll all be happier and more successful if we follow that straight and true signal that is the way to exaltation and eternal life. Try to be just like Enos and “pray a lot.”

Illustrated by Beth Whittaker