During my pre-dawn prayer walk with my dog, Scout, we encountered a thick, mystical fog. We could see clearly the road beneath us, but when we lifted our eyes, the road before us was hidden behind a pale, misty veil.

The fog obscures physical reality.  It presents an illusion that works its way into the deep recesses of your mind.  You know there is a road that stretches ahead of you and along that road are mailboxes, trees, homes and lawns.  But the inability to see what you would normally see introduces an unreasonable doubt about what your memory is telling you.

There are times in our lives when we must walk through a spiritual fog.  Many find contentment when they can clearly distinguish moral and theological issues as being clearly black or white.  No obscurity.  No doubt. Just clarity.  But they become deeply troubled when the ‘gray’ fog drifts into the picture and the answers they seek are no longer so clear and distinct.

It is during these times that we must redirect our eyes from the pale fog in the distance to the spot on which we will take our next step. It is important to realize that our minds are limited by the fall and God does not intend nor wish to answer all our enquiries.  

When our understanding gets foggy and clouds descend and dim our vision, we must have faith in God that He will take us by the hand and walk us through the fog.  He is aware of the hidden dangers and He promises protection.  He is always there for us if we go astray or stumble.  He will protect us and comfort us in our uncertainty.  He assures us that we can “know that all things work together for good to them that love God…” (Romans 8:28).

As I looked into the thick fog this morning, I was reminded of how unpredictable the future is for all of us.  As the number of my days become shorter and shorter, I often ponder how the life I dreamed I was going to live was smothered by the reality of the life I actually lived.  How will I live out the remainder of my days?  My perception of the days ahead are shrouded by a misty fog of uncertainty.

Of this one thing we can all be certain.  Our lives are like the early morning mist that quickly evaporates in the heat of the morning sun.  Life is short.  Even if one lived a hundred years, that time span is but a microdot on the span of eternity.  Few seem to realize the brevity of life until they have lived the most of it.  James realized it and left words to remind us of it:  “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). We often fear what we don’t understand. There is a haze that obscures the intersection of the physical and spiritual world.  Fear can walk us hand in hand into a fog of poisonous doubt that can infect our heart and soul.  The antidote to fear is faith.  Comfort can be found in Paul’s words to the believers at Corinth:  “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).