2008 年11月7日，Jim O’Neal先生，六十五岁，开小型飞机（Cessna 150E 型，二人座机），从苏格兰Glasgow到英国的一个城Colchester。虽然Jim是一位商人，但是他有十八年飞行员的经验。当天，飞机上只有他一个人。
在四千五百公尺高空时，突然他发现飞机仪器模糊看不清了。他以为是太阳反射，使得他的仪器模糊。但是很快地他就明白了事情发生的原因，是他的一只眼睛瞎了，第二只眼睛也受到影响，使得他看不清楚。
事实上，因为中风的关系，一个小血块压到了他的视神经，使得他的一只眼睛很快就瞎了，另外一只眼睛的视力也因此受限。
Jim马上用无线电把坏消息通知地面塔台。因为他眼睛瞎了，他看不见了，飞机很快就降到一千六百公尺高——非常危险。塔台试着用讲话的方式，帮助他降落。试了六次，都失败了，而折返天空。
之后，塔台把Jim导航到一个军用机场，那里的飞机跑道又宽又长。他们差派另外一架飞机起飞，飞在Jim的旁边。第二架飞机的飞行员用无线电和Jim对话，告诉Jim每一个动作。“我做什么，你也要做什么”。他飞在Jim的旁边，跟他一起降落；两个人都平安的返回地面。
这真人真事的故事可以用来解释基督徒与圣灵的关系。在《圣经》约翰福音第十四章16-17节，耶稣告诉他的门徒说，“我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师，叫他永远与你们同在，就是真理的圣灵”。保惠师的原文是 παρακλητον（parakeiton）； 意思是“请到旁边来帮助”的意思。神差派圣灵到基督徒的旁边来帮助基督徒，就像塔台差派第二位飞行员飞到Jim旁边帮助他重返地面一样。
基督徒时常碰到生命上的困难——生老病死的问题，经济问题，学业、职业问题，人与人之间的问题等。我们祷告求神的帮助时，圣灵和耶稣就到我们旁边来帮助我们。神很恩待我们，垂听我们的祷告。圣灵，好像耶稣所说的parakeitos，来到身边帮助我们，赐力量给我们，安慰我们。
Jim O’Neal平安地返回地面后，他不能不感谢塔台和第二位飞行员拯救了他的命。我想，很多基督徒，因为圣灵和耶稣的同在和帮助，也不能不举目观看神的恩典，低头感谢神，开口宣扬神的大能和作为。
您是基督徒吗？如果不是，请让我劝您，阅读《圣经》，聆听耶稣基督地话，信靠顺服耶稣（相信耶稣为你牺牲了他的生命又复活了）、悔改、受洗成为基督徒。之后，当生命问题使得你前面的路模糊不清，神就要差遣圣灵来到您的身边帮助你、安慰你、赐力量给您。
Helper at Hand
By Edward Short
On November 7, 2008, sixty-five year old Jim O’Neal set out from Glasgow, Scotland, to Colchester, England, in a two-seat Cessna 150E. Although Jim was a businessman, he also had eighteen years experience as a pilot, and that day he was the only person in the plane.
At 4,500 meters, Jim instruments suddenly became fuzzy. Sunshine reflection, he thought. But he quickly realized that he had become blind in one eye and that his second eye had also been affected.
In actuality, Jim had suffered a stroke, and a blood clot was pressing against his optic nerve—causing blindness in one eye and interfering with sight in the other eye.
Jim radioed the tower at an airport and told them the bad news. Jim’s inability to see resulted in his altitude falling to a very unsafe 1,600 meters. The tower tried to talk him down to a safe landing, but after six unsuccessful attempts they gave up.
The tower instructed Jim to fly to a military airfield that had an extra-wide and extra-long runway. They also sent another small airplane aloft to fly along side of Jim’s plane. The pilot of the second plane talked to Jim over the radio and told him exactly what to do. “You do what I do,” he said. He flew next to Jim and they approached the runway together, and both men landed safely.
We can apply this true story to the relationship between a Christian and the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, in John chapter fourteen, verses 16-17, Jesus told his disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…” “Helper” in the original language is παρακλητον (parakeiton), which means “call beside me” to aid me. God sends the Holy Spirit alongside Christians to aid them, in the same way that the tower sent the second aircraft pilot alongside Jim to help him to land safely.
Christians often face the problems of life—health issues, aging and death, economic problems, scholastic and vocational difficulties, predicaments between people, etc. When we pray and ask for God’s assistance, Jesus and the Holy Spirit come alongside us and help us. God favors us and listens to our prayers. The Holy Spirit comes beside us to help, strengthen and comfort us—just like Jesus’ word parakeiton indicated.
After Jim O’Neal returned safely to terra firma he could not help but express thanks to the people in the tower and to the second pilot for saving his life. I believe that, in a similar way, Christians cannot help but thank Jesus and the Holy Spirit for their presence and help. Christians look upward and see God’s grace, bow their heads in thanksgiving, and open their mouths to tell others of God’s greatness and goodness.
Are you a Christian? If not, may I urge you to read the Bible, listen to Jesus, trust and obey him—believe that Jesus died and was resurrected for you; repent and be baptized—and become a Christian! Then, when the problems of life cause everything to go fuzzy, God will send his Holy Spirit alongside you—to help you, comfort you and give you strength.