After nine months in space, Butch Wilmore’s life lesson is moving hearts and changing minds.
It all sounds like the plot of the next space blockbuster movie, but for the two astronauts who have been stuck in space for nine months, living suspended in space is a very real thing.
Millions across the country and around the globe have heard about these astronauts stranded at the International Space Station for the same time it takes a baby to form in the womb.
It all started last June, when astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams locked in for a quick test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule. After experiencing several problems aboard the spacecraft, which went back to Earth without them, the astronauts have been in orbit ever since.
And today, they will return, prayerfully and hopefully, safely back in Florida after a heroic rescue launched by Space X. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams waited to greet SpaceX astronauts over the weekend, after the crew docked at the International Space Station.
But before the historic return to Earth, astronaut Wilmore has touched the hearts of millions with a viral clip where he proclaimed the Gospel from the heavens ahead of the 17-hour flight home.
During a press conference, a reporter asked about this “extended business trip” the astronauts had taken, adding, “What is your life lesson or takeaway from these nine months in space?”
Wilmore was quick — and articulate — in his response:
“I can tell you honestly my feeling on all of this goes back to my faith. It’s bound in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working out his plan and his purposes for his glory throughout all of humanity, and how that plays into our lives is significant and important. And however that plays out, I am content because I understand that. I understand that he’s at work in all things.”
Astronaut proclaims the Gospel when asked about the lesson he’s learned from being stranded in space.
“My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ… He is working out His plan and His purposes.”
Christ is King.
pic.twitter.com/RlS5gJBUTM
— Anna Lulis (@annamlulis) March 18, 2025
The 62-year old astronaut continued: “Some things are for the good. Some things to us look not so good. But it’s all working for his good for those that will believe. And that’s the answer.”
The Tennessee native is anxious to get home to his wife Deanna and his two children, one in college and another in high school. An elder at his Baptist church, the astronaut has kept up prayer services remotely from space, making use of the space station’s internet phone.
Astronaut Williams of Needham, Massachusetts, is 59 and is looking forward to returning home to her husband and their two Labrador retrievers.
As the crew is set to land this evening, quite literally within the hour, please keep them all in your prayers, and thanks be to God for such a witness. And may we all have such fortitude in the face of such adversity.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, patron saint of astronauts, please pray for them!
