Staying in Touch with Mission Control: A Leadership Lesson in Faith

by Lee Allen Miller

My pastor for the last month has been speaking on the armor of God. This week, he drew a great picture of the power of prayer being like the spinach from the old popeye cartoon that gave the weakling sailor power. Prayer gives us that power!

In every space mission, there’s one unshakable reality—mission control never loses contact with the spacecraft. Except when it moves to the dark side. The radio silence isn’t because mission control left, but because the spacecraft has moved into a position where it can no longer receive the signal. Yet, mission control remains, ready and waiting for that moment when the signal is restored, when communication is reestablished, and guidance can flow once again.

Isn’t that a perfect analogy for our relationship with God?

God never moves. He never leaves. He remains constant, unwavering, always reaching out to us. But sometimes, we drift. We move into the shadows—distracted, discouraged, or deceived—and we find ourselves in the dark, unable to hear Him. And often, it’s in those dark times that we need Him most.

Navigating the Dark Side

Life will take us into difficult places. Maybe it’s a season of struggle, failure, or grief. Maybe it’s doubt, fear, or the pressures of the world that drown out God’s voice. We may feel like we’ve lost the signal, like we’re out there alone. But the truth is—God hasn’t gone anywhere. We have.

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” There is a real enemy who wants to keep us in the dark, who wants us to believe the lie that we are disconnected, that we are alone. But we are not. Mission control is still there. God is still there. And He has given us everything we need to stay connected.

Reestablishing the Connection

Just as astronauts must prepare for every mission with precision and discipline, we must do the same in our faith. Ephesians 6:13 tells us to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” That means:

Truth as our foundation (v.14) – When deception tries to pull us away, we anchor ourselves in God’s unchanging Word.

Righteousness as our defense (v.14) – We choose to live rightly, keeping our hearts aligned with Him.

Faith as our shield (v.16) – No matter what fiery darts come our way, we trust that God is with us

Prayer as our lifeline (v.18) – Just like astronauts rely on mission control, we must stay in constant communication with God.

We don’t have to wait until the darkness fades to reach out. We can pray in the dark. We can read His Word in the silence. We can choose faith even when we feel far away. And when we do, we’ll find that He was never gone—He was waiting for us to realign, to turn back, to listen.

Mission Control Never Leaves

No astronaut stays in the dark forever. They always come back into the light, back into contact, back into guidance. And so do we. Whether you feel lost today or find yourself drifting tomorrow, remember: God is always there, always speaking, always calling you home. The question is—are you ready to reestablish contact?

God is waiting. It’s time to tune in.

About Lee Miller

Lee Miller was born in Denison, TX and grew up in East Texas with his family. He studied music education at Stephen F. Austin State University taking a job in television on his last day of student teaching. Lee also provides business authoritative expertise to the broadcast industry as a consultant. Presently he is CEO of MSG Resources LLC, which specializes in consulting within broadcast best practices, distribution technologies and media strategy mastery. – – – – – Lee Miller is a well-known veteran of the broadcast media industry with particular experience in leading for-profit and non-profit broadcasting organizations. His career began in Lufkin, Texas in the early 80’s where he progressed from studio operations to creative services and network management. Mr. Miller has since received various professional designations and memberships such as Society of Broadcast Engineers accredited frequency coordinator, The Energy Professionals Association Certified Energy Consultant, and National Religious Broadcasters Television Committee & past Chair. Lee also serves as the Executive Director of the Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance, is a member of the Advanced Television Systems Committee and is proud to be part of Texas Association of Broadcasters Golden Mic Club, highlighting extraordinary careers in broadcasting. Continued engagement with his community is at the core of his business practices serving on the board of the Salvation Army and as keyboardist for the contemporary worship band at Harmony Hill Baptist Church. Lee lives near Lufkin Texas on one of his family’s tree farms located in the Texas Forest Country region north of Houston. He is married to Kenla and has two grown children, Joshua, COO of MSGPR Ltd Co and Morgan, a Critical Care ICU RN.