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Staying on Course

                Taking one last look at the Newfoundland coast before heading out over the Atlantic Ocean, Charles Lindbergh wondered what the next several hours would hold for him. 
He had taken off from Long Island’s “Roosevelt Field” at 7:52 that morning and for the next eleven hours he navigated by spotting landmarks and comparing them to his numerous maps and charts.  However, that was about to change.  Now, in the dark and over the featureless ocean, he would have to rely on the two compasses that his airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, carried.  As well, he would also have to make exact calculations on his charts, because being a few degrees off on this side of the ocean would mean that he would be hundreds of miles off course when he got to the other side.
Despite the odds, on May 8, 1927 at 5:18 am, Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris and became the first person to complete the New York to Paris challenge.  Unfortunately, later in his life, Lindbergh made several bad choices and brought shame to his once good name.  A man who once navigated well, lost his bearings later.
After reading a book about Lindbergh over Christmas, I was still thinking about navigation when I came back to the office, opened the Bible and read this verse: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).  Why would the Son of God pray?  What could he possibly need? 
I think that Jesus prayed because that is how he stayed on course.  We often think that prayer is about asking for what we want and trying to get our own way.  However, real prayer is like a compass that clarifies where you are and then points you in the right direction.  Later in in his life, Jesus demonstrates this truth even more clearly.  The night before going to the cross, he asks if there is any other way that God’s will could be accomplished.  However, his prayer ends where all prayer should end, by saying, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  Prayer is calibrating.  It purifies our thoughts and keeps us on God’s course.
If Jesus needed to pray, how much more important is it for me?

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