While we were at church on Sunday morning, August 31, 1986, a Piper Cherokee nearby collided with the stabilizers of Aeroméxico Flight 498. The small private plane crashed in an empty school playground in Cerritos, California, USA; all three passengers died. The Aeroméxico flight slammed into a residential neighbourhood on nearby Carmenita Road and exploded on impact, obliterating five houses and damaging seven more. All 64 passengers and crew died, as well as 15 people on the ground. Aerial photos show a huge blackened path through the residential area.

Two hours earlier, we had driven to church right through that area, expecting to return the same way. Those on the two planes probably boarded without thought of a crash. Those on the ground didn't expect an airplane to land on top of them. One of the mothers had gone to the store for groceries; she returned home to find it destroyed, along with her husband and two sons. There was a party at one of the other houses; all lost their lives.

Most mornings, we wake up expecting a normal day. I doubt that we will experience something this dramatic, but "crashes" will come unexpectedly: medical, emotional, physical, or terminal.

I don't know the spiritual condition of those who perished, but since those on the ground were not at church on a Sunday morning, it's likely that some were not spiritually prepared for sudden death. I don't know the spiritual condition of many who will read this devotional, but I know that it's not too late to be prepared for such a "crash".

First, we must be sure that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NLT)

Crashes will come, but we are assured that "when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:2-4 NLT)

Then we can take Paul's advice: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

Do we live our lives with the future in mind? What do we need to change today to make sure that we'll survive those inevitable times when life crashes around us? Are we prepared both for sudden "crashes" in our lives and for our eternal future?

Prayer: Lord, we want to be prepared, both for life's emergencies and for our future in eternity. Help us to trust in You and in Your hand on our lives. Amen.