Faith and Fog

Faith and Fog

It dawned on me one day all the way up in New Hampshire on a foggy morning as I watched my husband kayak on Swanzey Lake …faith and fog feel an awful lot alike some days.  The way seemed clear the day before but on this day — this moment — the path looks strangely dim …unrecognizable.  Was this the right way?  Are you sure about these directions?  Did I miss a turn or something?  Did I get distracted and not hear the signal or see the flashing warning lights?

We walk by faith ...not by sight (1)

But then I hear these words whispered clearly through the fog  …

“We walk by faith …not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

 For now we see through a glass, darkly…” (I Corinthians 13:12)

And God sings the words to this song quietly in the back room of my heart …

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace. 

( by Helen H. Lemmel)

And I wonder –when our faith is seen as sight, do things here seem a little more dim …not that big of a deal.  Maybe it’s not a matter of stepping out into the darkness as much as it is stepping into the Light of His presence and His path … leaving the darkness behind.

And maybe, just maybe — it’s the small steps of faith on a path that seems a bit foggy that lead to that open space where the light breaks through …

alifegivingmoment

 “Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us in the path of peace. ”
Luke 1:78-79 (NLT)

Take heart, my friend …and keep taking those small baby steps.  “The morning light from heaven is about to break upon us…” !

Joy Waters Martin

My kids tease me sometimes that my definition of a situation going well is often described as, "It was 'life-giving' " -- meaning, it may have had some conflicts or uneasy moments or stress but all in all , something about it breathed life into the situation and the people involved...something of the heart was moved in a good direction. I'm all about LIFE ... life with my husband, life with 4 adult children, their spouses and 8 grandchildren (to date, that is :), life in our home and life in a wild adventure we tend to label "ministry". In reality , all of these categories mesh together to make up the "organic me". Relational , redeeming and restoring are some of my favorite words and they give life to my soul as I walk it all out with Jesus Christ, the Giver of all life. Profile Photo by: Melody Martin

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  1. dawn aldrich

    Oh, Joy…such a timely post. Thanks for being God’s voice in my wilderness (or light through the fog).

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      The Holy Spirit is so good like that Dawn. He gave just enough words so that you could fill in the spaces. Hugs to you!

  2. mariegriffith

    Beautiful post , Joy. Thank you for the reminder.

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      Thanks Marie! You’re an inspiration to all this. God is so good!

  3. Joanna R. Himes-Murphy

    Everything is pretty foggy these days….don’t know what to do about my kids…all three of them…seperate issues….don’t know what to do about the next six months of chemo or whether the cancer is back or will be back….don’t know if I am supposed to move back to Chattanooga or fight my scary ex husband in court for things….I used to do this exercise where I closed my eyes and prayed…visualized walking in absolute blackness but being sure of my step because I was letting go and letting Him take over….its an act of Will…our Will…to deliberately consciously turn it over to Him…I needed to hear this today…need to consciously…”on purpose” turn the whole thing over to Him again….I love it so much when we are on the same wavelength…HUGS! I love you, cousin, especially when the Holy Spirit talks to me through your words.

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      Wow Joanna …there’s so much in your story that tells me you’ve been faithful to keep taking the baby steps. I’m glad the Holy Spirit nudged tonight …He’s so sweet and personal like that . I will be praying for you! He will guide your every step. I love you!

  4. Hi Joy,

    I can relate to what you communicated here. I have found myself in a season of such extreme faith that every day I just stand still in the Presence and wait on G-d to speak and then I move. I really related to the visual picture of being in the fog on the lake. There’s no fear in that stillness just expectancy, and when G-d shows up bringing everything that G-d is, the foggy journey is spectacular.

    Great post my friend! I love you!!

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      Kim …what a good friend you are to me! We are blessed to get to walk together. Your words here are part of this whole journey. Thanks for your beautiful addition.

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      As always — thanks so much for your ongoing encouragement, Becky ! You are another hero of mine !

  5. maryjanewaters

    “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for — the evidence of things not seen (through the fog.)” Love the way you illustrated this truth my darling sister. Faith and Fog. Yes. He is ever present . . . and longs for me to let the “things of earth grow strangely dim in His light of His glory and grace”–especially through the fog of the unknown. Thank you for this reminder! I just love you so much!

    1. Joy Waters Martin

      Oh Mary Jane — I love you dearly — YES — you know a “little” bit about faith and fog don’t you 😉 … I love how every comment in this thread has added a needed truth to this blog post. God is so cool like that.

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