Weather Report

Sometimes in life, it seems like you can see all the way to the horizon. Plans are in place, the way seems clear, and the days stretch out in front of you. Those are the times when you have the feeling of control in your life. You feel as though you are invincible, and you are going places. You know what you want, and you know how to get it.

Sometimes in life, the fog rolls in, and you can’t see three feet in front of your face. Not only can’t you plan your future, you can’t even see far enough ahead to know the next step you want to take. You reach out your hands to feel your way, stumbling as you go. You are vulnerable, and you feel trapped. You feel completely closed-in, defeated, and overwhelmed.

What I want to share with you today is that both of these feelings are illusions. We are making a mistake, whether we make our plans and feel in control, or whether we can’t see our next step and feel defeated. The reality is that our world is so much bigger than our vision or perception of it. We are NEVER in control, even when we fool ourselves into thinking we are. We are NEVER defeated, as long as we hold onto our LORD and Savior. As Christians, we need to remember both of these truths.

There are so many traps and pitfalls in the smooth-sailing days. One would think these were our safe haven, but quite often the opposite is true. God becomes less important as we become more self-reliant. The Evil One builds us up to the point where we honestly see ourselves as the architects of our own future. We forget to spend time in God’s word. We forget to spend time in prayer. We grasp for earthly gain, not fully grasping God’s desire for more of us. In the end, when the clear days are interrupted by a period of fog, we can find ourselves without preparation, without substance, and without a solid grounding of our faith.

Many things can cause that fog to roll in, but fear is a common cause: fear of change, fear of illness, fear of pain, fear of loss, fear of abandonment, fear of death…. Fear closes us off and causes our vision to become impaired. The Prince of Darkness delights in our fears. He preys on a mind that closes itself off from the One whose perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) I am not talking in the abstract here. This is very real for me. I feel the waves of fear coming when I think about a dear friend facing a battle for her life. I know the damage fear can cause, having seen it take the life of my father-in-law, as he gave in to suicidal thoughts. Fear is real, and it is powerful. I have found that the best way to rebuke fear and the fog that it brings is to immerse myself in the word of God and to hold fast to the hand of Jesus. Second Corinthians 5 talks a lot about “the tent that is our earthly home” and how “whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” That, of course, is easier said than done, but it is very important to remember that “we walk by faith, not by sight.” We are not to rely on these fickle eyes that are a part of our earthly home. Instead, we rely on what we know to be true, according to God’s word.

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

And there are many more verses, of course. My favorite passage, when I am fearful, comes from Romans 8:

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we are one with Christ, we are safe, no matter what this world throws at us. We serve a God who knows us by name and who will never abandon us. In Christ’s arms, even the fog of the unknown becomes a safe place, a place filled with beauty and joy. 

Lord, I give you my pain. I give you my fear. I give you my sorrow. I give you my life. Lead me through the fog, so I may fully rely on You and only You. Amen.