The Fog Of Grace

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Some of these humid summer mornings you’ll find me up before sunrise, walking or riding my bike before the day gets going. The thick, still morning air dampens my clothes in seconds and at times a fog covers the low places on our street and sometimes the entire neighborhood. Those are the times I enjoy the most. I’ll often head to a nearby park, riding my bike slowly, cautiously through the thickened air. Visibility is minimized, which makes me more present, more mindful as I slowly glide down familiar paths. You can’t look ahead, you can only stare at the pavement immediately in front. I enjoy the mesmerizing enchantment of slicing through space, unaware of what’s just before me. 

We’ve had several of these early mornings this summer, one just a week ago.

I silently glided through the fog down a path at our local park when I came up upon a woman walking her dog. I didn’t see her, nor she me, until we were nearly next to each other. When I did, I said, “On your left.” This startled her dog, which jumped and barked, and so did she, offering some choice words to mine. I apologized, looking back, but she disappeared, engulfed in the fog. She yelled on, saying, “I hate this fog.” I glided slowly on, thinking differently. I like it, I said to myself. 

I’m praying with several people lately, ones seeking God for clear direction in life. Things are confusing, they feel paralyzed, stuck, and I can understand that. No one wants to make mistakes, especially when traipsing through unfamiliar territory. Yet, I rarely find God answering these requests with specific or detailed directions, and I think it’s because His promise is to guide us into the truth, rather than simply saying, “Go there, do that.” At least, that’s been my experience. One of the ways He grows relational confidence with us is to take us by the hand and walk with us in the foggy times. 

Psalm 32:8 "The LORD says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'”

“I wish God would just make it clear,” my friend says. “Why do things have to be so murky? Wouldn’t it be great to have an encounter like Saul had on the way to Damascus? Knock me off my horse, Lord, now that’s what I’m looking for.”

That story has always fascinated me but, to be honest, I’m not looking for that kind of clarity, really. “Have you taken a careful look at Saul/Paul’s life lately?”

I’ve heard it said that when God makes His priorities very clear, stepping off that path, even slightly, will put you on a collision course with His clear correction.  

Though Saul received one of the clearest examples of calls and instructions from Jesus in the Bible, that clarity came with some heavy cost. “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:16) Saul’s life was not his own, such that his name reflected the change, and the clarity he received became the way he would see. 

Of course, that’s our charge, too. Our life is His life. I’m just trusting that He will make things as clear as needed for today. “Lord, answer my prayers according to Your mercy, not my presumption.” This is often my prayer when making some big asks.

You hem me in behind and before, You lay Your hand upon me
Psalm 139:5

As much as I want to see things clearly, there’s a comfort when there’s fog, a grace, perhaps. If God’s promise is to guide, then walking in the fog, my hand in His, is all the clarity I need. In fact, I find it’s the safest place imaginable.

There’s a lot of murkiness on the earth today -- Afghanistan, Haiti, pandemic, etc. -- all demanding clarity, but I wonder what will be received. A fog has rolled in, and there’s a grace available, to those walking hand in hand. 

I slowly tooled around the park a second time, and in those minutes the edges of the sun pushed through the tree line. The wispy tendrils of low-hanging clouds, thick upon the park, began to thin. My matted hair and moist face greeted the early walkers, until I came up again behind the woman walking her dog. The light had swelled in the 20 minutes it took me to loop around. She was easier to see.

“Passing on the left” I said again, half expecting a rebuke. She eased right, letting me pass.

“Beautiful morning isn’t it?” I said in passing. “It sure is,” she said. “I love sunrise.”

“Me, too,” I said spinning on past. 

And I do, but if truth be known, on that day I appreciated the benefits of fog even more. There, I move slower. There, I see little. There, there is permission to stray. There, I’m aware of His guiding hand of grace leading one step at a time. I’m hemmed in.

These days, with a dust-up in different parts of the world, when clarity seems hard to grasp, I find myself grateful for fog. God is gracious in the fog, guiding with His own hand. With all the uncertainty in the nations and our confusion at home, being led by the hand is our only hope. 

Sometimes clarity is overrated. May the fog be upon you.  ;)

Prophetic Prayer & Communion
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School of Kingdom Ministry
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Aid for Afghanistan
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Outback America
JH Outback Cincinnati helps families grow together. This wonderful ministry's upcoming weekend is October 1-3. Find out more at www.jhoutback.com/cities/cincinnati