October 6, 2016 | Angela Errett
On my way to church one morning, my husband and I were admiring the dense fog that was lying just among the trees, rising gracefully as the sun’s rays were peeking over the mountain. The top of the fog bank was brilliant white, and the land below it was aching for the warmth so it to could rise to its lofty home. But, it must be patient and wait for its journey to the sky.
As we rounded the curve, we too were engulfed in the shadow of the suspended vapor. Lights on and reduced speed, we entered the white world. Visibility was only a few hundred feet, and we saw lights coming toward us, slow and steady. The vehicle looked as if it was gliding on air as it passed beside our car with a wisp of fog trailing behind it.
We continued and just as abruptly as we entered, we exited the fog bank. Everything was vibrant and bursting with color. The greenest greens and the bluest blue sky. Oh, how beautiful! The sun was shining brightly, and if you didn’t look in the rear view mirror, you would never know that there was any fog.
As I pondered the beauty of the day, the Lord showed me that entering the fog is like our faith. We enter into faith by knowing that the road is there and knowing that we need our lights on to see the way even though we can’t see the road clearly. Our senses are heightened due to our surroundings, and we are more focused on how we are driving. Often we will grip the steering wheel tighter and look straight ahead to make sure nothing is in our way.
We know there is a road to faith. The road, paved by Jesus Christ and His shed blood, allows us as believers to see hope in times of turmoil. This hope gets us through the dense fog the world places in front of us to try and disorient our minds. It tries to speak to us and tell us there is no way out or that something is in the road ahead, and we’re going to crash. But God! He leads us, whether we realize it or not, out of the shadows and into His glorious plans. All we need to do is have faith in His ability to do so.
We need our lights. Jesus is our light in a dark place. An ever present help in a time of need. When we try to go through situations on our own, we will ultimately fail. Believing that God sent His Son to deliver us from the darkness, even if it falls on us for a season, refines us and allows us to visualize victory even when we can’t fathom a possible solution with our finite minds. God will never leave us, and He is our co-pilot as we drive through this life–sitting right beside us, whispering the way. We only need ears that are searching for His voice.
Our senses were given to us to help us navigate this world. When we are in times of trouble or need, God helps us to focus on the truth through His Word. The truth that this world will try to steal, kill, and destroy but, He came so that we might have light! We cannot focus on how we failed; we must focus on how He didn’t! We also must read what He said and fellowship with Him to learn what His promises are. If not, it’s like driving through the fog with your hands behind your back, no lights, and the cruise control on. That wouldn’t end well!
When we let fear creep into our minds–it will if you don’t renew your mind in the Word–we hold on tighter and tighter thinking we can change the situation or that we have control over it when we never do. At some point as Christians, we must realize that we must relinquish our old ways of thinking and take on the mind of Christ by asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He was sent by God to help us and in this world, we need more help than ever!
It is a radical way of thinking. You see, God’s ways truly are not our ways! He can bring good from any situation the world throws at us. It is utterly counter-intuitive however, by asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we can rest assured that we will know His voice and that He will guide us through this journey.
So, the next time trials come your way, look to the top of the fog bank where the brilliant light is reflecting and know that on the other side, He will be waiting with the Good News! We have victory over this world! Amen.
