Words for Wednesday: wings of hope

Yesterday I shared the Wings of Hope quilt garden Papa and I viewed last summer. And as my brain often does, that phrase “wings of hope” took off on a tangent of pondering.

Wings of hope. Hope. It’s something we all need in this crazy mixed-up world.

Hope does fly into our minds and hearts on wings. A little hope sparks from a positive news story. A bit of hope arrives when the day is filled with sunshine instead of buckets of rain falling from the clouds.

Hope soars as treatments are successful for those who suffer from diseases or health crises. Hope may take the form of a newborn baby blessing a family.

Hope is inspired through a variety of ways. For me, hope often comes in the form of encouragement from others.

But mostly my hope is found through my faith in God – the One who promises us hope and a future in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then this thought popped into my head…hope comes in on a wing and a prayer.

A wing…and a prayer…where did that combination come from? That expression is an old saying that people use when they hope for success but aren’t convinced it will actually come to fruition.

Maybe they just hope luck will be with them, and that luck will enable them to escape from a difficult situation. In my book, luck has nothing to do with it. But prayer certainly does.

Prayer leads to hope. Hope that God not only hears our prayers but answers them. But here’s the caveat: God answers prayers according to His will, so we need to hope we  accept that.

After I exhausted those thoughts on the expression “on a wing and a prayer,” I did what most of us with internet access do, I googled that phrase.

Come to find out, “on a wing and a prayer” originated during World War 2, which was before my time since I was born almost a decade after that war concluded.  

The saying was used in a 1942 film entitled The Flying Tigers in which a military pilot lost one wing of his airplane and attempted to land it using “a wing and a prayer.”

Eventually, those words found their way into a patriotic song, Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer published in 1943 and sung by various artists.

The lyrics, written by Harold Adamson, tell the story of an Allied aerial bombing mission over enemy territory when one plane hadn’t returned to safety.

That plane was badly damaged and lost an engine. But the crew was intact, not harmed, and had faith God would deliver them.  “With our full crew aboard and our trust in the Lord,” the aircraft arrived back at the home base “comin’ in on a wing and a prayer.”

And that reminded me. Memorial Day is just around the corner. It’s not just a day off work.  It’s not about bar-b-ques and family picnics.  Or the beginning of summer fun. 

It’s not even a day to honor our veterans and current servicemen and women. There is a special day for that, but Memorial Day is not for that purpose.

Instead, it’s a day of remembrance to honor every one of our American soldiers who put their lives on the line.  For us.  Often on a wing and a prayer.

They were determined to continue fighting for their cause even when it seemed success might not be found.  But so many of them did not come home from any wars or conflicts. They died serving us and our country.

As we remember our fallen heroes this Memorial Day, let’s also remember this.  They sacrificed their lives so that we may live in freedom. And it is our duty to protect our liberty so their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

May we never forget the real reason for Memorial Day.

“The legacy of brave men and women who have fought and died for their country is the freedom we enjoy as Americans.” ~Lucian Adams, (1922-2023) United States Army recipient of the Medal of Honor

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