In the Air

God is the creator of all that is on the earth and above the earth.  In Colossians 1, you can read a verse that describes the expanse of His wonderful creation:
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

In Philippians 2, we read this passage about the supremacy of Jesus:
(10) at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wow!  Jesus is the Lord of all.  And there are those spiritual forces, angels and demons, who ultimately will bow before the Lord Most High.  But, in the meantime, we, as followers of Christ, are empowered and called upon to exercise that authority over the forces that would attempt to thwart the plan of God and to utilize the powerful resources that He has given to further the Kingdom.  Under the Lordship of Jesus, there is great opportunity to see Him exalted.

+++++

In Ephesians 2, we see a passage that underscores the evil influence of the devil, who is described as "the prince of the power of the air:"
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

There have been some really unique things take place on airplanes recently.  Every now and then, you will hear of hijackings, such as the Afriqiyah Airlines flight from Sabha, Libya, to the nation's capital of Tripoli.  A CNN report said that the Friday before Christmas, two highjackers had surrendered, "hours after forcing a Libyan plane to land in Malta and threatening to blow up the aircraft."  The report stated that, "Authorities did not say whether the pair had made any demands. But one waved a green flag outside the aircraft, suggesting loyalty to the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi."

Of course, who can forget the tragic news of actress Carrie Fisher's death - she had a heart attack, according to USA Today, on a transcontinental flight from London to Los Angeles that same Friday.

Also, before Christmas, a man noted for pulling pranks and posted them on YouTube may have been at it again: according to The Guardian:

A YouTube star known for filming elaborate hoaxes was escorted off a Delta flight on Wednesday morning after he claimed that other passengers complained when they heard him speaking in Arabic.

Adam Saleh, a 23-year-old YouTube star from New York, posted multiple videos to Twitter and Periscope on Tuesday, showing himself being escorted from a plane by Delta flight attendants.

Saleh said in the videos that after passengers heard him speaking Arabic, they “felt uncomfortable” and called flight attendants. However, while it is clear that he was removed from the flight at London’s Heathrow airport, the circumstances leading up to the video – retweeted more than 644,000 times – are not known and cannot be verified.

He claimed to have been calling his mother and was speaking with her in Arabic.  Delta issued a statement and then updated it.  In its most recent statement, the airline said:

Upon landing the crew was debriefed and multiple passenger statements collected. Based on the information collected to date, it appears the customers who were removed sought to disrupt the cabin with provocative behavior, including shouting. This type of conduct is not welcome on any Delta flight...

And, maybe you heard the story about Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, being harassed on an airplane.  Fox News, citing a TMZ report, related that she and her three children were flying coach on a JetBlue plane out of JFK airport in New York City.  The report stated:

According to the report, a man - holding a child of his own - began yelling at her and "jeering" at the young kids.

"Your father is ruining the country," he reportedly told her, while questioning why she was on the flight instead of flying privately.

Daily Mail identified the man as Dan Goldstein, a lawyer from Brooklyn. Before boarding the flight, Goldstein's husband, Matthew Lasner, tweeted: "Ivanka and Jared at JFK T5, flying commercial. My husband chasing them down to harass them. #banalityofevil"

Goldstein was escorted off the plane.  The airline made a statement, saying: "...If the crew determines that a customer is causing conflict on the aircraft, the customer will be asked to deplane, especially if the crew feels the situation runs the risk of escalation during flight. Our team worked to re-accommodate the party on the next available flight..."

Some truly notable and disturbing moments on airplanes lately - some while in flight, others before taking off.  I did begin to think about a spiritual component of what the Bible refers to as "the air." There are unseen forces that are active all around us, penetrating the air, shaping the very atmosphere around us.  For instance, as I mentioned earlier, Satan is referred to as the "prince of the power of the air." But, we also recognize that there are angels, ministering spirits, who are also present.  Add to that, of course, the omnipresence of Almighty God through His Holy Spirit.

No doubt, there are these elements that we do not see, but yet they are actively at work.  And, as believers, we have to be aware of these forces that are aligned for us and against us.  As we prepare to takeoff or launch for 2017, we can trust our guidance system - the Word of God and His Spirit - to help us to navigate the spiritual opportunities and pitfalls that we may encounter.  We may encounter turbulence or discomfort along the way; yes, air travel can sometimes be a bit, well, cramped.  But, if we are prepared and take the necessary precautions, we can arrive at the destination that God has in store for us, confident that He is at work according to His will.