As we face the uncertainties of this world, it’s important that we learn to expect an answer from our Savior. When we pray, we should do so optimistically.

Something quite amazing happened to me the very night I began writing this article. I was out for a walk and heard an owl hooting in a nearby tree. I halted, mesmerized by the distinctive call. I decided to “interact” with this owl by making my own hooting sounds. Within seconds, a large, beautiful owl swooped down from the tree and flew right toward my head. I ducked down quickly as the owl turned and soared up to a nearby electrical pole.

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In that moment, I was overwhelmed to realize how close the owl had come. Truthfully, I couldn’t believe it had responded to my “call.” In fact, I wasn’t expecting any reaction at all, but as this bird of prey came toward me, one thing grabbed my attention: those powerful wings! I was frightened, but also exhilarated to gaze upon that huge wingspan. I kept watching the owl for several minutes as it sat atop that pole, realizing that this wonderful creature of God is a reminder of His promises for those who put their trust in Him.

After that encounter, I recalled a book I had read years ago titled Nerves of Steel. That heroic tale is all about wings, but not of the bird kind: It tells the story of a courageous airplane pilot named Capt. Tammie Jo Shults. In 2018 she safely landed Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 after one of its engines had exploded at high altitude, causing rapid depressurization and multiple system failures. The aircraft could have come crashing down to the earth, but instead, something happened that showcases the awesomeness of God.

As Shults recounts in the book, the morning of April 17, 2018, began like any other. She awoke early, grabbed a cup of tea, and began reading her Bible. It was part of her daily routine to give this time to Jesus. She would read Scripture each morning and then consider carefully how the passages applied to her life and the lives of others. She writes:

“I always text a portion of what I’ve read to my family members as I pray over each of them and whatever they may be doing that day. Then, as I have ever since I became a pilot, I pray over my flights. I ask God to guide my judgment and airmanship. When I started flying for Southwest, I also started praying for my crew and passengers.”

Shults could not have known that morning that by the end of the day, her prayers would have a profound effect on the trajectory of the rest of her life — and of the lives of the nearly 150 passengers and crew on that flight.

The first leg of the flight went smoothly enough, from Nashville to New York City. Then, it was on to Dallas, and for that part of the trip, Shults handed over control to the co-pilot, First Officer Darren Ellisor. About 20 minutes into the flight, something unexpected happened: “It felt like a huge truck hit my side of the aircraft. My first thought was that we’d collided with another plane.” As the plane seemed to flip over onto its left side, Shults and Ellisor tried desperately to figure out what to do, realizing that they had an engine failure on their hands.

Oxygen masks fell from their compartments as the plane bounced violently. Inside the cockpit, meanwhile, smoke began to billow. “It was like being inside of a smoky snow globe that someone was shaking hard,” Shults recalled. At this point, the pilots heard a loud roar and felt a stabbing pain in their ears. The nose of the plane began to hurtle toward the ground.

“None of us understood what had happened until much later. The initial feeling of being hit by a truck was brought on when a piece of a turbine fan blade in the left engine snapped off. The break damaged the engine so badly that it exploded. The blast ripped off the front edge of the cowling and scattered the pieces over miles of Pennsylvania. … [T]orn pieces of the plane took chunks out of the wing and tail, ripped a panel out underneath the wing, and poked a hole in the hydraulic lines around the engine.”

Moreover, fuel was flowing out of the left fuel tank, and a piece of debris had hit the window at row 14, breaking it. The change in pressurization caused the pilots to gasp for breath, and they tried furiously to combat the craft’s constant shuddering and turbulence. It felt like “flying through an asteroid belt, hitting most of the rocks as they went,” Shults writes.

As the plane continued to roll, Shults and Ellisor barely had time to get their oxygen masks on. They labored to keep the aircraft from lurching out of control. Shults realized she would have to “work with the plane and not against it.” This meant the aircraft would have to descend, which, in this case, felt like it was dropping out of the sky. She needed to find a safe place to land before time ran out, and Philadelphia became the location of choice. Hope was in sight, but danger still lurked. Landing the damaged airliner could be done, but it would not be easy.

Shults made a cabin announcement: “We are not going down. We are going to Philly.” Her message was heard by many of the passengers and the crew, and it filled their hearts with hope. While the pilots continued to steer the plane, the flight crew strove mightily to reassure, calm, and assist the passengers. Even while colliding against the seats and dodging the flying debris, the crewmembers shouted: “We’re going to be okay! We’re going to Philly!”

Amid the continued turbulence, flight attendant Rachel Fernheimer arrived at row 14 and discovered that passenger Jennifer Riordan’s upper body had been sucked out the window. Debris from the engine explosion had broken the window, and now the only thing keeping Riordan inside the plane was her seatbelt. Several passengers strained tirelessly to pull her back inside, but to no avail. Another flight attendant alerted the pilots to the dire situation. At this point, Shults had retaken the controls, because it is the captain’s responsibility to land a plane in times of emergency. She slowed the aircraft to reduce air flow outside, and Riordan could now be pulled back in; the passenger was in bad shape, however, and a retired nurse on board began performing CPR.

Though the situation was exceedingly stressful, Shults remained calm and composed, alerting air traffic control of the situation: “We have part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit. … [C]ould you have medical meet us there on the runway as well? We’ve got injured passengers.”

Of course Shults knew landing the plane would be difficult anyway, but with only one functioning engine and a damaged wing, speed and power would be an issue. Keeping the plane level was yet another concern. And as Shults approached the runway, yet another problem arose: She needed to make one last right turn to line up with the airport runway, but the plane would not turn. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop — and then Shults said: “Heavenly Father?” (These words can be heard on the cockpit recorders.) The next part she prayed silently: “What am I forgetting?”

Even in this nerve-racking and terrifying situation, Shults did not panic. Instead, she called on her Heavenly Father. She knew the wings of the aircraft were in the almighty hands of Jesus. He would cover the wings of the plane beneath His own wings! And that is surely what happened, because after her short prayer, she knew what to do and was able to turn the plane in the right direction. As Shults got closer to landing, the flight attendants shouted in unison to the passengers: “Heads down! Stay down! Brace! Brace! Brace!”

At 11:23 a.m. the plane landed safely. Twenty minutes had passed since the explosion. It was likely the longest 20 minutes ever in the life of every single person aboard that plane. In great relief, Shults breathed out: “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you Lord,” as the plane taxied on the runway.

After all the safety checks were completed, Shults went to check on the passengers. She was surprised to find that they were not panicked, but instead calm, collected, and grateful. Making an enthusiastic announcement over the PA system, she declared: “God is good, and we are on the ground.” Exiting the plane, she thanked God for His protection and guidance. Afterward, her pulse was taken by an EMT, who was shocked to discover it wasn’t elevated.

Shults had this to say: “I’m as human as the next person. I believe my calm voice and pulse rate that day were the product of more than my training and demeanor. They didn’t magically appear in a sudden moment of need. They’d developed over years, nurtured through each life experience as well as through my faith and confidence in God’s goodness. I believe the Creator put nerves of steel in so many people on Flight 1380 that day.”

But, most sadly, though the plane landed safely, passenger Riordan would later die of her injuries. Her death would be mourned by everyone aboard the flight. Shults duly notes how hard it is to be both happy and sad at the same time: happiness for the safe landing, but sadness for the loss of a passenger’s life.

Unforgettable as Shults’ story may be, it is evident that Jesus had prepared her for “such a time as this.” As one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots, she had developed the skills and determination needed to tackle difficult situations. Of course, she and her co-pilot did not fly that aircraft alone. In fact, before that plane ever took flight, Shults’ Savior already had His almighty arms about her and all the passengers and crew. Amid all the turbulence and confusion, Shults called out to the Lord, who answered right on time.

In an interview on The 700 Club, Shults shares how she was able to stay calm in the middle of chaos: “I remember thinking, good news, bad news, and the bad news was that I didn’t think everything would stay on the aircraft for us to get it to the ground. And that kind of led me to the mental cliff of what if — which would be that this would be the day that I meet my maker. And that’s when I stopped. The rush stopped and I just had a calm because I realized I wouldn’t be meeting a stranger. I meet with him every day. And so that is where I stepped away with a calm in my heart that I think was reflected in my voice, but also in just being able to think through the many decisions that Darren and I needed to make.”

This story reminds me of that beautiful owl that soared out of the tree with its mighty wings outspread. When I called to the owl, I wasn’t expecting it to respond. And just that way, my own faith, I realize, can fluctuate from one day to another: Sometimes I pray to Jesus with big requests that I don’t expect to be answered; on other occasions, I believe my prayer is too small and insignificant. Whatever the prayer request might be, I don’t always expect a response. But when I consider Shults’ experience, I’m aware that she was confident that her Heavenly Father would respond. The morning of the flight, she had spent time with Jesus, praying that He would guide her airmanship and judgment. She set herself up for success by handing her flight over to Him. When trouble came, she reacted in faith instead of fear. She didn’t doubt that Jesus would answer her very big request. It gave her those nerves of steel she needed to land the plane safely, even with a damaged wing and engine.

As we face the uncertainties of this world, it’s important that we learn to expect an answer from our Savior. When we pray, we should do so optimistically. In the same way as that owl burst suddenly out of the tree, we can anticipate something awesome — even an answer that knocks us off our feet. As Shults notes, we can have every confidence in the goodness of God, and His goodness will give us calmness and, most of all, hope.

In this life, we will face busted engines and shattered wings. But the Savior’s own wings of steel bring us renewed hope. I can still feel the wind from the owl’s wings as it rushed by. I was fearful for a moment, but then I was reminded of Psalm 91:4 which declares: … under his wings you will find refuge. 

Will I be calling out to any more owls from this point forward? I’m not so sure about that! But one thing is certain: I am going to set myself up for success by anticipating God’s goodness. When tough situations drop on my doorstep, I’ll expect Jesus to respond. Maybe it won’t happen as quickly as the flight of the owl, but it will definitely happen.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for listening to our prayers. We are confident that You will respond, even if we are on a sinking ship or inside a crashing plane.

(For more about Capt. Shults’ story, check out the book Nerves of Steel. Some free chapters are available on this link.)

Share below with others how the Lord Jesus has used His “wings of steel” to rescue you!

Angela Rodriguez is an author, blogger, and home-schooling mom who studies the historical and biblical connections between Israel and the U.S. You can visit her blogs at 67owls.com and 100trumpets.com. Her latest book, Psalm 91: Under the Wings of Jesus, was released in June 2021. Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash.