‘God’s in control’: Astronaut leaned on Christian faith, attended church while stranded in space

After his eight-day space station visit turned into an eight-month ordeal before returning to Earth, astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore was asked by the media about life lessons learned from the failed plans.

In short: Trust in God, who has a plan and purpose in all circumstances, even in disasters, Wilmore told the media during a press conference Monday, nearly two weeks after splashing down in the SpaceX capsule that saved him after 286 days.

“All of our lives are bound up in many things,” he said. “For me, it’s faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the end-all, be-all. He forgives us. He teaches us, where His Word says about being content in all situations because he’s working out His plan and His purposes for His glory and our good.

“And I believe that, because the Bible says that, and that’s the message that I lived. We lived it. My family lived it.”

Wilmore spoke during an hour-long press conference along with astronaut Sunni Williams, who was stranded with him when their Boeing Starliner spacecraft was deemed unfit for returning them home. Also speaking was fellow NASA Crew-9 astronaut Nick Hague, who joined the pair in space last year on a scheduled rotation.

Wilmore was asked specifically about attending church in space and why it was important to him.

“Goodness. The Word of God continually infilling me, I need it,” he said. “My pastors are the finest pastors on or off, in this case, the planet. And to tie in and to worship with my church family was vital…. 

“It was invigorating. It was part of what I need as a believer in Jesus Christ to continue that focus. It assisted me day in and day out, because I need that fellowship, even though it’s fellowship from afar and it’s not like being fellowship up close. But still, I need it.” 

Wilmore’s church, Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas, held a celebration the Sunday after its space-traveling elder returned. 

Pastor Tommy Dahn emphasized how Wilmore’s faith while stranded was not just conjured out of thin air. 

“It wasn’t just a faith that he drummed up for nine months,” Dahn said, according to CBN. “That’s the way Barry has lived.” 

As a leader in his church, Wilmore made calls from space to church members and even led Bible studies and sang songs, with other astronauts joining.

“We sang together with all the astronauts on the space station,” Dahn recalled. “We sang ‘Amazing Grace,’ and Barry shared the devotion with the whole congregation.” 

Wilmore’s message to his church, the media and his own family has been consistent: God is in control no matter the circumstances. 

“We taught [my children] these things throughout their lives, and that’s contentment,” he told the media Monday. “It doesn’t mean always happy. It doesn’t mean there’s no pain, but content and knowing that God’s in control, sovereign. God’s in control, working out His plan and His purpose. 

“And you might say, ‘Well, goodness. That wasn’t a very good thing. God did that?’ Well, He’s working out His plan, His purpose.” 

And for someone going through challenges, Wilmore suggests asking God what lesson He is trying to teach. 

“I mean, who’s lived a life without pain? No one,” he said. “That’s the nature of existence. Who’s lived a life without sorrow? Who’s lived a life without challenges? It grows us. We learn from it.  

“And that’s the focus that I try to take from it: ‘What’s the Lord trying to show me and what’s He teaching me?’ Because there’s so much to learn in life.”