Lights on the Runway: Personal Peace When Praying

Several years ago, one of my mentors, Tom Yeakley, shared an illustration with me which has stayed with me. Tom shared that the tools God gives to discern His purposes are like lights on a runway.

Have you ever passed a small regional airport at night? Maybe, in the midst of the darkness, you’re still able to see the bright lights on the airport runway. When we pass an airport at night we can’t always see an actual runway, but we know it’s there because we have indicators that point us toward the runway.

In much the same way, God has given His people lights on the runway so we can begin to move forward with confidence believing there is a runway from which we can land or take off. God gives us five lights on the runway.

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Runway Light #2: Personal Peace When Praying

The truth is, if I am left to myself long enough, I can rationalize and justify almost anything in my mind.

But when I am in frequent, intentional and faithful prayer over a period of time, where I am seeking God’s purposes, the temptations to justify or rationalize often seem unwise.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

This peace when praying is often like a snow globe. Sometimes when I pray about issues or where I want to hear from the Lord, I get the sense of what it’s like when a snow globe is shaken up. Things are swirling and it’s cloudy and there is not much clarity or settled- ness inside the globe.

But other times, when I am praying, it feels as though the snow has fallen to the bottom of the globe and I have clarity. I am not only able to see into the globe itself, but I sense there is so much clarity and settledness that I can even see through it.

When we are in prayer (not just a one-time quick prayer, but a commitment to prayer over a longer period of time) and we ask God for his purposes in our lives, we can begin to experience a peace (or an unsettledness) about a particular situation or issue in our lives. Notice and pay attention to that peace (or lack thereof) when praying because God often works in the midst of that.

These lights are on the runway are taken from the original ebook, 5 Lights on the Runway, which is available to download