“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
Psalm 32:8

On November 8, 2008, 65-year-old Jim O’Neill was flying his Cessna at 15,000 feet when a sudden stroke left him completely blind. At first, he thought the sunlight had temporarily blinded him, but when he couldn’t even make out the massive runway, it became clear something far more serious had happened. O’Neill frantically radioed a mayday alert. 

Air traffic controllers scrambled to guide him, but their instructions weren’t enough. That’s when RAF Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, a chief flying instructor who was flying nearby, came alongside him. From just 300 feet away, the military pilot began giving precise, step-by-step instructions—turn left, a little right, reduce power—shepherding the blinded Cessna pilot down safely. Jim O’Neill had to trust every word. He couldn’t rely on his own sight, only on the guidance of someone who could see what he couldn’t. 

Spiritually, we are often in the same position. Without God’s Word and His Spirit guiding us, we’re all “flying blind.” The Pharisees in Jesus’ day thought they could see, but their spiritual pride left them lost. Jesus made it clear—if they had admitted their blindness, they could have been healed (John 9:41). 

Psalm 32:8 is God’s promise to us: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” That means He sees the dangers, the safe paths, and the runway we can’t. But His guidance only works when we choose to listen and follow. 

This week, let’s look inward and ask ourselves where in our own lives we are trying to navigate life on our own. Have we been ignoring God’s clear instructions, hoping our own sight is enough?