God’s Sovereign Cancellation of United Flight 4603 for Brian

Neither Brian nor I had any idea what God’s providence had in store for us this day. God canceled UA4603 to bless both our lives.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-9, ESV).

A Friend Goes Home

Years ago, my friend Kevin Mollahan asked if I would be willing to preach the gospel at his memorial service. Others have made similar requests. I always awkwardly accept such requests. I say “awkwardly” because there are certainly better men more worthy of such a humbling and honorable task. I accept such requests thinking I will either precede in death the person making the request, or they will sometime down the road realize they should have made a different choice.

I knew Kevin was in the hospital and that he wasn’t doing well. In the dozen years I knew Kevin, he had other hospital stays. Because of Kevin’s existing medical conditions, any hospital stay was a serious matter, but he had always bounced back.

Not this time.

Kevin’s brother, Matthew, reached out to me via Facebook. He told me Kevin was likely near death. Kevin wanted to make sure I was still willing to preach the gospel at his memorial service.

In a week’s time, Kevin was gone.

Sitting with Sonya

I was now on my way to Tennessee to fulfill my friend and brother in Christ’s request. In my pocket was a stack of the gospel tract I wrote in Memorium to Kevin.

My two flights into Nashville were smooth in that both flights were on-time. I had a mere 40 minutes between flights, which led very little room for error. My connecting flight in Chicago was just a few gates away. My second flight landed in Nashville a few minutes ahead of schedule.

My first flight (Moline to Chicago) presented me with a wonderful gospel opportunity. The plane was small–just a single aisle with two seats on either side of the aisle, per row. A lady old enough to be my mother sat down next to me. Her name was Sonya. A retired pre-school teacher, Sonja was on her way to France to visit her son and his family.

Once Sonya settled into her seat, I pulled a gospel tract out of my pocket.

“Can I give this to you?” I asked Sonya.

“What’s this?” She asked in reply.

“It’s a gospel tract,” I said while pointing to Kevin’s image on the front of the tract. “That’s my friend, Kevin. He passed away about a month ago.” I answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, ” she said with sympathy in her voice.

“It’s okay; really. Kevin is with the Lord, now. So, he’s doing a lot better than we are,” I said.

Sonya began to read the gospel tract in the dim, early morning, cabin light.

Pointing to the text on the back of the tract, Sonja said, “Oh, I don’t like this.” She was pointing to the section of the tract that explains the Law of God and the consequences of violating it.

The conversation turned from mere pleasantries to the communication of the gospel and a discussion about worldviews. During one pause in the conversation, Sonya asked me who I admired. I briefly told her about Robert Annan, the 19th-century open-air preacher from Dundee, Scotland. She asked me if there was anyone more recent, someone I didn’t admire for his or her Christianity. The first person that came to mind was Roberto Clemente, my all-time favorite baseball player.

“What About Mother Teresa?”

“What about people of faith like Martin Luther King, the Dali Lama, Mother Teresa, or Jimmy Carter?” Sonya asked. “Don’t you admire people like that?”

“No,” I replied. “I can’t admire people who are opposed to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel.”

Sonya was stunned.

“You don’t think Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, or Jimmy Carter are Christians?” Sonya asked, almost gasping.

I noticed people around us were starting to turn in their seats toward us. People were listening.

“Mother Teresa encouraged suffering and dying people to pray to any god they wanted to. Martin Luther King denied the deity of Jesus Christ. Christians don’t…” I said but was interrupted.

“Well, I think Jimmy Carter is the greatest Christian, ever!” She firmly asserted.

“And we disagree,” I replied with a smile.

The conversation then turned to the “good works” accomplished by Sonya’s favorite people. This gave me the opportunity to return the conversation to the law and the gospel.

Sonya’s mind was not changed, at least during our conversation. Sadly, she remained dead in her trespasses and sins. But I was thankful for the opportunity to communicate the gospel to her and put a gospel tract in her hand. And the conversation remained friendly throughout.

First Text from United Airlines

I landed in Nashville, picked up my rental car, and made the hour-long drive to the home of Carmen Mollahan, in Baxter. Carmen is Kevin’s mom. I was warmly greeted by Carmen and Matt (Kevin’s brother), and shown to my room for the night.

Not long after I unpacked the few things I brought with me for what was supposed to be a single night’s stay, I received my first text of the afternoon from United Airlines.

“Canceled: Your flight UA4603 from Chicago to Moline is canceled because of airport conditions on the runway/taxiway preventing your departure. We’re sorry for the cancellation and are working to get you on your way.”

My first thought was not to thank God for His providence or for the opportunity to trust Him in my suddenly changing circumstances. No; my first response was to sin against my God and Father. My first response was to try to assume control over a situation in which I had none. I had to take control because I didn’t trust my Father in heaven who was at that moment, as He always is, in perfect control. And how did I try to assume control?

Worry. Frustration. Anxiety.

I immediately called Mahria. As I paced about the bedroom, I dumped my burden on my wife. If you were to ask her, she would, without a moment’s hesitation, say, “That’s what I’m here for.” I love her for that; certainly, it’s biblical for us to bear one another’s burdens (See Galatians 6:1-5). But all too often I unnecessarily burden my wife with my anxieties in ways that cause me to think more of myself than of her. I can, at times, complain to her in ways that bring unnecessary worries to her own heart and mind. Instead of asking her to bear my burden by helping me to repent of my sinful worry, I in effect ask her to join me in my sin. I truly, deeply love my wife–my sister in Christ. This is an area in which I need to love her more and better.

Thus began a three-hour temporal ordeal, which I should have seen as a spiritual opportunity.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, a plane had slid off the runway at my home airport, in Moline, and Chicago-O’Hare Airport (my layover on the way home) would cancel 800 flights within the next 24 hours.

Let the Calls Begin!

I called United Airlines. My wait time on my first call was 5-10 minutes. Due to poor cell phone coverage in and around Carmen’s home, the call was dropped while I was on hold. I called back. This time my wait time was 10-15 minutes.

You see where this is going, right?

Carmen allowed me to use her landline. You know what that is: a telephone.

My third call to United promised me a 20-30 minute wait time. A half-hour later a representative–a living, breathing human being–picked up the line. Moments after I gave the representative my identifying information, the call was disconnected.

Call #4: “All of our representatives are currently helping customers. Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Your wait time is 30-40 minutes.”

My frustration and anxiety were increasing. I went to the Lord in prayer–something I should have done an hour earlier. In order to help me focus, I grabbed my journal and began writing my prayer.

Darrel? Darrel?

True to the airline’s word, a representative picked up the line a half-hour later. His name was Darrel.

After the typical, initial pleasantries and formalities, Darrel began to work on securing me a flight home. Several minutes of listening to Darrel tap on a keyboard later, Darrel said, “I don’t have anything into Moline, but I think I have a flight into Dubuque.” Dubuque is 70-80 miles north of where I live in Davenport.

I figured I could either have someone drive up to Dubuque and get me, or I can rent a car, or I could arrange for an Uber ride home. Two of the three options would likely cost more than I wanted to spend. No matter; I wanted to get home.

“I’ll take it!” I enthusiastically told Darrel.

“Okay, Mr. Miano. Let me put you on hold so I can make the necessary changes to your flight,” Darrel said.

“Great. Thanks,” I replied.

I activated the speaker setting on the phone and went back to writing my prayers.

After several minutes, I received another text from United Airlines. It read:

“Flight update: Good news! UA4603 from Chicago to Moline is no longer canceled and will depart at the original time…”

Needless to say, I was pleased to receive the text, even a bit exhilarated. And then I thought, “Wait. Um. Hold on. My flight has been reinstated, but I’m on hold with a representative who is trying to book me on a different flight to Dubuque. Now, I don’t want a flight to Dubuque. I want to stay on my original flight home.”

For the purpose of full disclosure, I’m pretty sure I yelled into my phone as if my voice would carry through the hold feature, “Darrel! STOP! Pick up the phone!”

And I waited… And I waited…

Darrel’s voice came back on the line.

“Mr. Miano, I…”

“Darrel,” I interrupted,” “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but I just got another text from United and… Darrel? Darrel?”

I looked at the phone and my heart sank. It was fully charged. I had good reception. But my call with Darrel was inexplicably dropped.

Now, I had no idea if I was going to Dubuque or Moline, or anywhere at all.

The Call from Brian

I sluffed down the stairs to the living room where I found Carmen sitting in a chair. While I was in a much better place spiritually and emotionally than I was when this telecommunication comedy of errors started, I was still disappointed. I relayed to Carmen what had happened with a smile on my face.

I called United Airlines…again. The automated voice on the other end of the line advised me that the wait time would be about 40 minutes. This time the call system offered to have someone call me back when it was my turn to speak to a representative. I followed the prompts and arranged for a call-back.

I turned my attention to Carmen. She shared her testimony with me, as well as a synopsis of how her three adult children came to repentance and faith in Christ. It was a blessed time of fellowship.

The phone rang. Carmen and I looked at each other and smiled.

“Hello?” I answered.

“This is Brian with United Airlines…”

Brian had a mild accent. However, I could not determine if he was from the Middle East, Asia, or a Hispanic nation. Call centers like the one in which Brian worked, especially for a company as large as United Airlines, are spread throughout the world. He could have been anywhere, including Nashville.

I explained my situation to Brian.

“Are You a Preacher?”

“What brings you to Nashville?” Brian asked. I was a bit surprised by the casual nature of Brian’s question. He went off-script.

“I’m in Tennessee to preach the gospel at a friend’s memorial service,” I answered.

“Oh, I’m very sorry for your loss,” Brian sympathized.

“Thanks, but it’s okay. Kevin is in the presence of the Lord, now. He’s doing a lot better than you and me,” I said.

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

“Mr. Miano, are you a preacher?” Brian hesitantly asked.

“Well, yes I am. My church sends me onto the streets to communicate the gospel to whoever will listen,” I answered.

At this point, I think Brian threw away the script.

“You know, I like history, but I haven’t read the Bible much. There are a couple of Bible stories I like.” Brian offered.

“Which one is your favorite?” I asked.

“Um, there is a story about a man who came out of a tomb?” Brian half-asserted, half-asked.

“Oh! You mean the story of Lazarus,” I said.

“Yes!” Brian said. “That’s the one.”

Brian Hears the Gospel

I recounted the story of Lazarus being resuscitated by Jesus and called to come out of the tomb (See John 11). It was the perfect opportunity to tell Brian about how Jesus brings dead people to life, not by merely resuscitating them, but by causing them to be born again to a living hope (See 1 Peter 1:3-9)–breathing new life into them by the grace of God alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

“Mr. Miano, I truly have goosebumps right now. Thank you so much for telling me these things. I needed to hear this today.” Brian said.

Brian continued working on my flight. He confirmed that my original flight had been reinstated, and I was still on the flight. Because my ticket was of the “Basic Economy” variety (the cheapest and most restrictive United Airlines offers), he could not check me in, but he did secure my seats.

“Brian, I know you are very busy today, and I don’t want to keep you from your work, but would it be all right if I prayed for you, now?” I asked.

“It’s been a very hard day. We are all exhausted.” Brian explained.

“Can I pray for you?” I asked again.

“Yes. Please,” Brian answered.

“We All Have Goosebumps”

For the next few minutes, I prayed. I prayed the gospel. I asked the Lord to draw Brian to himself in repentance and faith. I asked God to give Brian patience with customers, no matter how irate or abusive they became, and to allow him to not respond in kind. I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to talk to Brian and for Brian’s help with my flight.

“Mr. Miano, I have goosebumps again,” Brian said. “We all have goosebumps right now.”

I paused.

“Wait. What do you mean by ‘we all have goosebumps?'” I asked. “Are other people listening?”

“Oh, yes,” Brian explained. “I made sure everyone here could hear your prayer. We all appreciate it so much.”

My eyes welled with tears as I considered the good providence of God.

“Well, I will let you go, Brian. Thank you so much for your help,” I said.

“Thank you, Mr. Miano. Goodbye.”

God’s Providence

I hung up the phone and looked at Carmen. I’m sure my jaw was dropped. I shared with her the parts of the conversation she could not hear. We rejoiced.

I also explained to Carmen how I had sinned against God, by worrying and being anxious about my flight, and by being frustrated with spending the whole afternoon trying to find my way home.

“Do you see what God did, Carmen?” I asked. “God had determined in eternity past that Brian and whoever else was with him in that call center would hear the gospel today. In spite of my sin, God determined that I would talk to Brian and he would hear the gospel. Multiple dropped calls and disconnections over the course of the afternoon–all orchestrated by God so I would get to Brian. How good and gracious and kind is God!”

God wasn’t only kind to Brian; He was also kind to me. Again, in spite of me, God blessed me.

I had several opportunities over the next 24 hours to recount the story, to testify to the goodness and providence of God.

Kevin’s Memorial Service

Saturday was a cold and rainy day, by Tennessee winter standards. But the light of the gospel shined and the warmth of God’s love for His people and their love for one another shined bright. About 50 people attended Kevin’s home-going celebration. It was the perfect number of people because everyone God wanted to be there was in attendance.

While I was tasked with preaching the gospel, those in attendance heard it multiple times. The two men who had served as Kevin’s pastors over the last dozen years also gave clear testimony to Kevin’s faith in Christ.

After the memorial service, I enjoyed lunch and fellowship with Kevin’s family and the other attendees.

Since it was raining and I was unfamiliar with the driving habits of Tennesseeans in inclement weather, I left a little early for the Nashville airport.

I returned my rental car and made my way into the terminal. Once through security, I determined I had a couple of hours until I had to board my flight. So, I decided to broadcast an edition of Morning Devotions, on YouTube.

I grabbed a bite to eat. I bought dinner for the lady standing behind me in line, at Popeye’s Chicken. She wasn’t expecting the gift of the gospel tract that came with it.

Another Opportunity to Trust God

As I ate my dinner, I received a text from United Airlines. It read:

“Delay: Your 4:45 pm flight from Nashville to Chicago is delayed because an earlier delay impacted your plane’s arrival. UA 5822 now departs at 5:01 pm.”

I did the math. I now had a mere 20 minutes to get off my first flight and make my way to the gate for my second flight. Fortunately, only 20 gates separated the two planes.

As my group was called to board, I received a text from United Airlines. It read:

“UA4603: Despite our best efforts, we’re sorry to let you know that your flight has been canceled again because of strong winds and a disabled plane on the runway in Moline…”

I had just enough power on my phone to call Mahria and tell her.

When my plane landed in Chicago, I made my way to United’s customer service desk. Let’s just say I wasn’t the first person in line.

When it was my turn, I stepped up to the counter. The airline representative on the other side of the counter kindly informed me that not only was I not getting on a plane that night, I also wasn’t getting on the plane the next day.

I decided to rent a car and drive the three hours from Chicago to my front door.

My countenance was much different with this set of circumstances. What a difference a day makes. What a difference prayer makes. What a difference right-thinking makes. This time, anxiety was replaced with contentment and joy. For that, I am thankful to the Lord.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:6-9, ESV).