Brenda’s Blog – December 19, 2017
“Onward through the fog!”
Oat Willie’s cry resonates far beyond his original circle of influence. Whether in business, politics, education, or even ministry his sentiment is used to express stepping into the unknown.
Recently I attended a meeting at Asbury University, located in the rolling hills of blue grass Kentucky. An evening’s function went late and a group decided to forage for food in the rural locale. A deep fog set in and returning to campus became treacherous. They were unable to see more than 8-10 feet in front of the car. And when their GPS announced, “You have arrived at your destination on the left,” they just stared into the dark gray unable to see the house which majestically sat on a hill, now enveloped in fog.
“People keep telling me to trust God, but I don’t know what that means. I want Him to show me what to do and to let me see the future. This is really hard.” The woman sat down next to me at the hotel and began telling me her story. She teared up as she related a painful story of displacement and loneliness. I kept thinking she was living in a fog of faith.
What can we learn? Driving in fog requires special skills. Despite our immediate instinct, the bright lights need to be exchanged for lower beams (or fog lights if available). Speed must be adjusted to conditions. Pressures from drivers behind must be ignored. Finally, listening to the GPS and not depending on visual clues is necessary.
When our life falls into the unknown, we apply these same principles, don’t we? We slow down trusting God to give us the light we need. We know He is the “light on our path.” We rely on His voice through the word and the confidence given by the Spirit. We do not operate by trusting in our own wisdom and instincts, but by leaning on Him. Often, we want to rush through these foggy times, but we put our maturity in danger. And, we must hold to the truths which are foundational. Others will come around us with recommendations. They will come with accusations. But we need to stay the course checking our decisions against the word, the Spirit, and the counsel of Christians we trust.
We know faith operates in the unseen, but we also know our God leads us along. When the fog rolls in, let’s declare our belief in our God who knows the way through the wilderness, and the “foggy bottoms.”