photo by Nada
Are You Out There, Lord?
4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD,
the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4 (NIV)
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD,
the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4 (NIV)
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope
for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
I recently awoke to find that the world beyond my front door had been erased during
the night. At least that's what it looked like as I gazed out my front door. A thick fog
had crept silently into my neighborhood and had enshrouded the entire area in a
miasma of damp, impenetrable grey. Peering into the murk, I could see the outline
of my big sycamore tree about fifteen feet away, but beyond that ghostly outline
there was only an eerie emptiness. Even the normal morning sounds of a waking
neighborhood were muffled, nearly silent.
I stood hesitating at the door, unwilling to walk into the nothingness to get the
morning paper. I had no guarantee that the paper had even been delivered; although
on a normal, sunny morning I would trust that the paper would be there, waiting for
me. Somehow the fog had invaded my emotions, making me uneasy and stealing my
confidence in what I would normally find predictable and routine. So dense was this
blanket of vapor that it felt like an exercise in faith to walk to the end of the driveway
and back. I knew that my driveway ended next to my rickety, green mailbox. I knew
that my apple tree would be on my right as I traveled down the driveway. I knew
that my son's car was parked at the curb. But because I couldn't see these familiar
landmarks it seemed just possible that they might be gone. Shaking off this gloomy
flight of fancy and stepping out in faith, I made my intrepid jaunt to the end of my
very safe, very short suburban driveway and carried back the morning paper in
triumph, like a prize won in battle.
Life's events can wrap us in a fog of doubt and worry, creeping in to surround us so
insidiously that we hardly notice until we are fully enveloped. We lose sight of our
life's trusted landmarks: home, church and job. We lose faith that there are still
people out there who love us, who cherish us and who are waiting to help us in our
time of need. Contentment, joy, peace, happiness: all are muffled and muted. Faith
is shaken to its foundations when troubles fog our hearts, making us uncertain of that
which we were previously so sure. We have been taught that our God is a loving
Father and that we are never alone, but the fog.... Oh, the fog!
When we are lost in that fog, needing help, our Father lovingly places people in our
lives who are anxious to assist us. And when we are the ones who are secure in the
sunshine, then helping a neighbor, a friend, or a loved one to find their way back to
the sunny clarity of God's enduring love is a task we are all called to address as part
of our Christian walk. There is great joy to be found in reassuring those who are
hopeless of the great hope to be found in God's Word. From cover to cover, the
messages of God's forgiveness, faithfulness and love are there to restore us. Yes, we
are unworthy and we are sinful; the fog is formed out of those truths. But even
though we are weak and we fall far short of leading a blameless life, we are forgiven
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That incomparable love and
forgiveness is the warm sunshine that burns away the fog of despair, reducing it to no
more than a lingering fragment of a bad dream.
Fog is a frequent event in Temecula and our city's name means "where the sun
shines through the mist". Just as the rising sun pierces the fog and destroys its power
to depress and dampen our spirits, our risen Lord, the SON, has the power to drive
away our doubts and bring healing. We need only trust in the Lord and the SONshine
will dispel our fears and renew our spirits. As Jesus states in John 14:1, "Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (NIV)
©2008 Elizabeth Williams
the night. At least that's what it looked like as I gazed out my front door. A thick fog
had crept silently into my neighborhood and had enshrouded the entire area in a
miasma of damp, impenetrable grey. Peering into the murk, I could see the outline
of my big sycamore tree about fifteen feet away, but beyond that ghostly outline
there was only an eerie emptiness. Even the normal morning sounds of a waking
neighborhood were muffled, nearly silent.
I stood hesitating at the door, unwilling to walk into the nothingness to get the
morning paper. I had no guarantee that the paper had even been delivered; although
on a normal, sunny morning I would trust that the paper would be there, waiting for
me. Somehow the fog had invaded my emotions, making me uneasy and stealing my
confidence in what I would normally find predictable and routine. So dense was this
blanket of vapor that it felt like an exercise in faith to walk to the end of the driveway
and back. I knew that my driveway ended next to my rickety, green mailbox. I knew
that my apple tree would be on my right as I traveled down the driveway. I knew
that my son's car was parked at the curb. But because I couldn't see these familiar
landmarks it seemed just possible that they might be gone. Shaking off this gloomy
flight of fancy and stepping out in faith, I made my intrepid jaunt to the end of my
very safe, very short suburban driveway and carried back the morning paper in
triumph, like a prize won in battle.
Life's events can wrap us in a fog of doubt and worry, creeping in to surround us so
insidiously that we hardly notice until we are fully enveloped. We lose sight of our
life's trusted landmarks: home, church and job. We lose faith that there are still
people out there who love us, who cherish us and who are waiting to help us in our
time of need. Contentment, joy, peace, happiness: all are muffled and muted. Faith
is shaken to its foundations when troubles fog our hearts, making us uncertain of that
which we were previously so sure. We have been taught that our God is a loving
Father and that we are never alone, but the fog.... Oh, the fog!
When we are lost in that fog, needing help, our Father lovingly places people in our
lives who are anxious to assist us. And when we are the ones who are secure in the
sunshine, then helping a neighbor, a friend, or a loved one to find their way back to
the sunny clarity of God's enduring love is a task we are all called to address as part
of our Christian walk. There is great joy to be found in reassuring those who are
hopeless of the great hope to be found in God's Word. From cover to cover, the
messages of God's forgiveness, faithfulness and love are there to restore us. Yes, we
are unworthy and we are sinful; the fog is formed out of those truths. But even
though we are weak and we fall far short of leading a blameless life, we are forgiven
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That incomparable love and
forgiveness is the warm sunshine that burns away the fog of despair, reducing it to no
more than a lingering fragment of a bad dream.
Fog is a frequent event in Temecula and our city's name means "where the sun
shines through the mist". Just as the rising sun pierces the fog and destroys its power
to depress and dampen our spirits, our risen Lord, the SON, has the power to drive
away our doubts and bring healing. We need only trust in the Lord and the SONshine
will dispel our fears and renew our spirits. As Jesus states in John 14:1, "Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (NIV)
©2008 Elizabeth Williams