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God’s Airplane
 By Miralee Ferrell
Printed in The Breakthrough Intercessor

“Allen, what are we going to do?” I asked my husband. “If something doesn’t happen soon, we’re going to lose this airplane, along with the time and money we’ve poured into it.”  
     Confusion and fear had set in, causing us to question the choice that had led us to this point. We were scrambling for answers as a serious deadline drew near.
    Our family of four had recently moved back to the Lower 48 States from Alaska. Upon our return the Lord set in motion a set of circumstances that would stretch our faith and increase our understanding of trusting Him for a serious financial need.
    An opportunity arose to purchase a Piper Super Cub airplane that needed quite a bit of work. Purchasing it would entail taking out a loan on top of our home mortgage and other bills, which caused genuine concern, even thought the private lender would give us a year to repay the note. The pressures of raising a family while attempting to build our own home had already taken a toll on our finances. However, after praying about it we agreed the Lord had opened this door as the profit would clear off some of our debt. We had purchased the plane with the intention of reselling it for a substantial profit, as these planes were highly sought after in the aviation world.
    Many hundreds of hours of labor later, the plane was finished and ready to sell. Allen had done truly beautiful work, as airplanes were his specialty, including the professional painting and detailing inside and out.
    We put it on the market in the airplane trade magazines, expecting the phone to begin ringing when the ad broke. Our enthusiasm dimmed just a bit, as several weeks went by with no serious interest.  When we did get calls and someone seemed interested, they never called back or appointments scheduled would be broken. We didn’t understand what was happening and stress started to build as the deadline for the loan loomed closer.
    We received one short extension on the loan and didn’t want to ask for a second, but if it didn’t sell soon we wouldn’t have a choice. We prayed continually and nothing happene. We prayed harder, questioning why it hadn’t sold. Our confusion grew as our anxiety increased, and our emotions screamed at us that God wasn’t listening.
    “Miralee, what do you think is going on? We prayed about buying this plane and both of us agreed God told us to get it.” Allen said.
    “I honestly don’t understand.” I replied. “I was positive the Lord directed us to buy this plane. I don’t believe he wants our financial reputation ruined, but no matter how hard we pray, it isn’t selling.”
      Why did God allow us to buy this plane, finish it so beautifully, then not be able to sell it? We had agonized long enough. It was time to seek our pastor’s prayer support as well as his wisdom and counsel. As we poured out our confusion and fear, he suggested we might need to take another look at the question we were asking the Lord.
    We had been saying, “Lord, why haven’t You sold our plane?” He suggested instead, “Lord, what is Your will? Do You want us to sell our plane?”
    That was a totally new idea and quite frankly, one that made us very uncomfortable. Not sell the plane? Why not? We couldn’t afford to keep it, as much as we would enjoy it.  Our pastor stated that God might have some other use for it and emphasized pressing into the Lord for direction. He didn’t have to tell us twice, we needed an answer quickly, as our second deadline was rapidly approaching.
    We went home that day and committed to pray, first together briefly and then alone until both of us knew we had heard from the Lord. A half hour later we talked over what we had heard.
    “I would like to know what the Lord told you, before I share,” I requested.
    “I felt the Lord said that we aren’t supposed to sell the plane,” Allen said. “I got the sense it’s supposed to go to someone in need, possibly a missionary in Africa, although I don’t know for sure.”
    “Awesome! The Lord showed me the same thing, but with a little more detail.” I felt a great sense of excitement at the confirmation Allen had given. “I saw a picture of an elderly couple kneeling beside their bed in a simple home, praying for a plane to enlarge their ministry. They had white hair and looked to be in their early seventies. The Lord confirmed in my heart they are missionaries somewhere in Africa. I saw them so clearly, I believe I would recognize them if I saw them in person.”
     Now what should we do with this information? How did we go about finding the correct missionaries, and pay off the plane? We were willing to give up all the work, profit and money we had put into it, if the Lord directed. I honestly believe, had we refused to give it and demanded our profit, the Lord would have sent us a buyer.
    Had that happened, we would have been robbed of an even greater blessing, never knowing the awesome joy of giving on a level we had never reached for before, and missing out on the miraculous power of God in supplying our needs. Not to mention denying the missionaries the plane they had prayed for.
    A few days later, I was sharing with a good friend what the Lord had revealed. I asked if she and her husband would pray with us for the Lord’s direction, as well as wisdom and understanding in how He would take care of the loan. We had  peace knowing God wanted this done but how He planned to do it was still a mystery.
    A day or so later, she called me. “My husband and I have been praying. We feel the Lord is directing us to pay off the balance of the loan, so the plane can be given as a free gift to the ministry God has chosen.”
    Stunned silence greeted her from my end of the phone. When I found my voice I quietly asked, “Are you sure? We certainly didn’t anticipate this when I asked you to pray.”
    “We know you didn’t and yes, we are sure.  Could you call your pastor and ask if he knows of any missionaries who might be praying for a plane?” she asked.
    Without giving our pastor any details, I asked if he knew any missionaries who had mentioned the need for a plane. He gave me a name which I passed on to my friend. She urged me to confirm the man’s age and description. It didn’t fit. I went back and asked that he check again, telling him for the first time that the Lord had shown me an older couple while in prayer.
    He came back with a strong confirmation. There was couple in their early seventies serving in Africa who had prayed at length that the Lord provide a plane for their ministry. He described them, white hair and all. I knew in my spirit they were the ones the Lord had directed us to.
    A year later the missionary couple visited our church, and I recognized them as the people I had seen while praying. We were able to  hear firsthand how the plane was being used in their ministry to distribute gospel material.
    God is so good! He knew all along who needed our plane. He used Allen to rebuild it and our friends to pay the debt, so His kingdom could be increased.
     We may not always understand the direction the Lord is taking us, but we can trust that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. The Lord was continuing to show He could lead in miraculous ways, if we would be obedient to follow His leading, no matter how impossible the situation might seem.