Stephen’s Scary Sky Ride—Based on Mark 4:39

The sky looked dark and cloudy.

Stephen frowned. “Why today?” he said.

He was thirteen and had waited all year to come to Aviation Boot Camp. All the other kids got to fly already. Now it was finally his turn—and a storm came.

“Ready to go for a ride?” asked the pilot, Tim. He smiled as he walked toward the little plane.

Stephen looked at the sky. “Is it safe? What if we get hit by lightning?”

Tim shook his head. “I’d never take you up in a thunderstorm. You can trust me.”

Stephen crossed his arms. “Trust you? I don’t even know you. No offense, but I don’t want to die. I just got my first girlfriend.”

Tim laughed. “I understand. But even in a storm, God is in control. He can calm it.”

Stephen climbed into the plane. “He can? He did? When?”

Tim buckled in. “In the Bible. Mark 4:39 says that Jesus and his friends were in a boat. A big storm came. Jesus stood up and said, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ And guess what?”

Stephen leaned in. “What?”

“The wind stopped. The waves stopped. Everything got calm.”

“Whoa,” Stephen said.

Just then, the wind stopped outside the plane. The clouds opened. A bright sunbeam shone down on the airport.

Stephen gasped. “That’s crazy!”

“Not crazy,” said Tim. “That’s God. He’s in charge of everything. We can trust Him.”

Stephen grinned. “Let’s go fly! I want to hear more about Jesus. I’ve got a girl to live for—and now Jesus too!”

Tim laughed and started the engine.

“We’ll be flying all day if I tell you all His stories.”

“Fine with me,” said Stephen. “You made me a believer!”

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Lori Layne is a pilot and author. She is a missionary pilot for Pilots for Christ in Michigan. She is married with six adult children and fifteen grandchildren. She lives in west Michigan with her husband, Tim, and German Shepherd, named Shadow. She loves to express herself and the grace of God in her writing.