Recently I met a man who many years ago served as a pilot in the United States Navy. His unit was deployed and had been assigned an early-morning mission. It was winter, and the freezing rain and biting wind made preflight preparations nearly unbearable. Still, being in command, the young pilot had no choice but to press on.
The crew launched into the storm, climbing blindly through the clouds using only their instruments for guidance. The aircraft rattled against the turbulence, with rain and hail hammering the fuselage like a relentless drumbeat.
With each takeoff, the pilots had a habit of using the plane’s HF radio to search nearby stations for background music to accompany them as the plane ascended into the sky. As the young pilot scanned through the static, he suddenly heard something familiar—the unmistakable sound of the Tabernacle Choir from Salt Lake City, Utah, and its program, Music & the Spoken Word.
The pilot paused. The reception was poor—the words barely distinguishable through the crackling interference—but the feeling was immediate and undeniable, a tender reminder of home, faith, and God’s presence.
Then, through the static, the voice of the narrator broke through, clear and distinctive:
“My faithfulness to thee is as the dawn of a new day.” At that exact moment, the plane broke through the cloud cover and the cockpit was instantly flooded with brilliant sunlight. The storm, the darkness, the turbulence—everything that had surrounded the plane only moments before—was now below, hidden beneath a thick, rolling sea of clouds.
Above, the sky stretched endless and clear. Inside, something within the pilot soared. The message was unmistakable. He recorded: “God is faithful. No matter the storms that rage below, no matter the darkness that clouds our vision, His faithfulness is unwavering—as sure as the rising sun.”
He continued, “That morning in the cockpit was more than just an experience—it was … a personal grace-filled moment where I knew, beyond all doubt, that God’s faithfulness is as certain as the dawn of a new day.”1
Yes, God’s faithfulness is as certain as the dawn. His faithfulness to us is something we can always count on.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we give thanks for God’s unfailing faithfulness to each of us and pray for His blessings upon this great land that we love.
1 Personal correspondence, May 3, 2025.
July 06, 2025
Broadcast Number 4,999
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Bells at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Geoff Anderson
Organist
Andrew Unsworth
Host
Derrick Porter
God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand
George W. Warren; Arr. Mack Wilberg
How Bright Is the Day
American folk hymn; Arr. Mack Wilberg
Prelude on “Pisgah”
American Folk Hymn; Arr. Dale Wood
Canticle
Arnold B. Sherman
God Bless America
Irving Berlin; Arr. Roy Ringwald
Battle Hymn of the Republic
William Steffe; Arr. Peter J. Wilhousky