Sky Pilot
In 1968, our nation was divided because of the continuing involvement in the war in Vietnam. In that same year, Eric Burden & The Animals released a song entitled “Sky Pilot.” At best, that song poked fun at the role of military chaplains. It probably is not much of an exaggeration to suggest that the song made those who served in that capacity the objects of outright ridicule and derision.
The song strongly suggested that the role of military chaplains basically was to speak platitudes to those who were going into harm’s way. Those who heard the platitudes might be going on a mission from which they would never return alive while the “sky pilots” would be secure in their barracks.
Centuries before that war and that song, another man was accused of not understanding what it was like to have the same experiences of “real people.” Without going into a lot of detail, you may remember that Job was an important, wealthy, and (most of all) godly man who, with two exceptions, lost everything. He did not lose either his life or his integrity.
You may also remember that Job had some friends who ostensibly were there to help. I’m not sure how much “help” Job thought that he received from the first friend who spoke. There are a lot of things we could “unpack” from the speech of Eliphaz, but I’ll try to confine my thoughts to the passage in which he basically tells Job that, in his past, he has had no idea what it was like to “live in the real world.” Although the term “sky pilot” could not possibly be a term for centuries in the future, the germ of the idea is found in these words:
Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed (Job 4:3-5, emphasis added).
After over four decades of serving as a preacher, an elder, or both, it is difficult for me to not apply all of this in a way that I think reflects how others may see those of us who try to serve in these ways. Let me assure you that the man you see in the pulpit and/or the one to whom you go for spiritual advice knows all too well what life is like “in the trenches.”
I could easily provide a long list of the names of preachers and elders (and their families) who are currently struggling with some very serious issues. What they (we) need is not the kind of friend that Eliphaz was. It seems that at least a part of his purpose for talking with Job was to let him know that the kind of terrible things that happened to Job didn’t happen to people who were in a right relationship with God and that he (Eliphaz) was there to help Job see where he had gone wrong. Again, I wonder how much “help” that was to Job.
Anybody who knows anything about the life of the apostle Paul knows that he could, in no way, be seen as a “sky pilot.” He absolutely knew what life was like “in the trenches.” He experienced hardships, setbacks, and disappointments that most of us would have difficulty even trying to imagine. Those things did not cause him to abandon his commitment to the Lord. Neither did his negative experiences cause him to stop trying to strengthen the faith of others or bring others to the Lord.
That’s really still the case for those who are truly trying to serve the Lord today. All Christians, whether or not we are in something perceived as a “leadership position,” should be merely trying to do what we can while they can with what we have. No perfection or immunity from the normal trials of life should be claimed or expected. The focus should not be on mere humans, but on the One who is described in these words:
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:14-15).
The sky is not the limit. With limited abilities and in spite of human frailties, people need to be reminded that…
Above the bright blue, the beautiful blue,
Jesus is waiting for me and for you;
Heaven is there, not far from our sight,
Beautiful city of light.
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AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
