The Gift of Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer

Last updated on: May 19, 2024 at 7:07 pm by Kathy King

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The Gift of Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer 2024-05-19T19:07:47-04:00 Kathy King

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“What wings are to a bird and sails to a ship, so is prayer to the soul.”

Corrie Ten Boom

Do you sometimes feel like you live your life on a wing and a prayer? With one engine gone and the other engine barely hanging on? The song from the 1940’s Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer was just about that situation. During World War II there were many missions where the Allies flew over Europe in bombers. A lot of these brave souls never returned. They gave their lives for the cause of freedom. This particular song was about a mission that was flown in Europe. The pilots and crew made their target, but one of their engines was damaged and not working. The pilots bravely asked the men to say a prayer that they would land in England. Hence, they came in on a wing and a prayer.

Life is Much Like a Wing and a Prayer

If you have never heard the song, please take a moment to listen. I know that the era of the 1940’s had significant issues, but the music of that time was so very uplifting and had real meaning. There are times when I wish we could glean a few life lessons from that time. Particularly, the importance of prayer. In the book Anne of Green Gables, Anne thought that her best prayer would be to go out into an open field, look to the sky, and feel a prayer. Others find solace in the age old practice of getting on their knees and just talking to God. In a time when everything is so frenzied. Stopping, being quiet, and refilling your tank will make the biggest difference. Some folks say that a wing and a prayer is an almost impossible situation. Yes, it could be. Those pilots did not give up when their plane was struggling to stay in the air. They looked to the horizon and saw their landing field straight ahead. They kept going. So much of life takes a short view of things, we focus on the here and now. What if we took a long view on some life situations? Yes, there may be a struggle with how the situation is coming to fruition, but, if we can look ahead, down the road In the true long view, can we see that we can indeed make it?

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In Life We Must Take a Long View

Recently, one of our sons graduated from college and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. What a proud moment for my husband and myself. My oldest son was his first salute (he is enlisted), and one of my husband’s oldest friend’s gave the Oath of Enlistment to our son. In our celebration after the ceremony, my son looked at my husband and myself, and thanked us for telling him to take the long view. You see, on more than one occasion, particularly during his junior and senior years of college, he had to complete Pre-camp and Advanced camp. Each morning, he had to wake up and ruck for many, many miles. He ran, did squats, and did navigation training exercises, among other activities. He was only supposed to have to do Pre-camp once but we had the world wide bug come into existence. He was forced to repeat Pre-camp with all the 12 mile rucks and various other army activities again. At his lowest, we told him, “Can you see the end result on the horizon?” It was hard, but he did.

Our Son Learned the Value of a Wing and a Prayer

His senior year, he completed advanced camp. It was about 12 weeks of Army training. I asked him how many times he had rucked 12 miles in full military gear. He said, “Mom, I have lost count.” Today, he reaps the rewards of not giving up. He came in on a wing and a prayer. I leave you all with a verse from Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer. “What a show, what a fight Boys, we really hit our target for tonight. How we sing as we limp through the air. Look below, there’s our field over there. With our one motor gone. We can still carry on. Comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.” Let’s look to the horizon! Let’s pray and reflect and keep up the good fight!