“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Reality snapped me to attention. Just two hours before, I had left an encouraging Christian conference, full of hope, full of the love of Jesus, full of direction for my life, full of courage to get it done. So I thought.
The upbeat praise and worship music streamed from the car speakers into my heart as I loudly sang the words. Suddenly my singing stopped.
My fingers white-knuckled the steering wheel as I drove through the North Carolina mountains, cautious. The dense fog rolled in quickly, shielding the landscape like a thick blanket held from a clothesline. I had driven this familiar stretch of road a hundred times before. I knew it by heart. My heart doubted tonight, though.
My eyes strained to see past the hood of the car. I could barely see the white lines outlining the two-lane road.
“Lord, I am scared. Please guide me. You are the same God on the sunny, clear, mountaintop days, when I can see for miles, as You are right now. I see nothing. Please show me the way. I am doubting everything I know to be true.”
As my car inched along, I reflected back on the uplifting conference where I had just been for the last three days. God called me there to clearly trust Him, to serve Him, to write and speak for Him. I knew that full well, just as I know my name.
But minutes later, I was already doubting God. I was so scared. I kept driving.
“Lord, help me. Lord, help me. Help me drive scared. Lord, help me.”
About an hour later, I exited off the twisting, mountainous road and into the driveway of my destination. I exhaled. I don’t know that I had fully exhaled since I hit the fog.
My hands still shook as I reached in the dark for my car door handle. I breathed in that mountain air and made my way to the front door. Once inside the house, I fell to my knees in thanksgiving for the miracle God had just brought me through. It was only then that I realized I had just lived a message. The foggier nights result in deeper faith.
Since then, I have definitely hit other “patches of fog” in my faith journey. Usually the doubt comes soon after a deeply meaningful time when I feel God’s presence and feel clear about God’s purpose.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Bible’s “Hall of Faith.” I love reading all the different examples of extraordinary faith, from Abel and Abraham to Rahab the prostitute. Each “Hall of Faith Honoree” demonstrated faith in the “foggy night” of life.
God is with you, whatever circumstances you find yourself in today, whether you just had an uplifting, mountaintop God experience or the foggiest night of your life. Know the same God in the sunny, clear day is the same God in the foggy night. May we be encouraged to find and strengthen our faith in the fog and in the SON.
Lord Jesus, You are my Rock and my Redeemer. Thank you for the sweet times when I can feel Your presence so easily and know Your purpose for me. Forgive me for doubting You in the foggy times. Thank you for testing my faith and refining me. Please help guide me every breath to fulfill the purpose you have called me to do. Help me do it, even when I’m scared of the fog. I am Yours. You are mine. In Jesus’ Name, by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Renew:
–Isaiah 7:11, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights” (NIV).
–Matthew 15:28, “Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted’” (NIV)
Reflect:
–What foggy night circumstances have you experienced lately?
–When have you felt God’s presence clearly, like a mountaintop experience?
Danya Jordan