I Can't See a Thing!

Here's an interesting fact for you.  A fog bank a hundred feet deep, covering seven city blocks, is composed of less than one glass of water.  Can you imagine?  I've seen fog so thick that I literally couldn't see anything but white.  It seemed as if the entire world had been blotted out by a giant cloud.  Yet that "giant cloud," scientists say, can be contained in a single glass.  Who would ever imagine that entire cities could be brought to a standstill by a single glass of water? Mind blown!

It reminds me of our problems.  Like those billions of water droplets that form the fog, each problem actually has little substance.  A dead car battery here.  A dog-poo-encrusted shoe there.  Traffic.  Whiny children.  Discovering halfway through the day that you're wearing one blue shoe and one black one.  Business delays.  Power outages.  Nothing out the ordinary.  Nothing catastrophic.  Just normal, everyday annoyances.

But, let me tell you, when those bad boys gang up, it becomes like that fog, only instead of bringing the city to a standstill, it brings our faith to one.  Sure, everyone has a bad day, but when that day's problems seem to pour over into the next day and the next and the next, faith disappears, and from what we can see, God does too.  Just like in the fog, we can't see anything but the vapor surrounding us.  We can't see God.  We can't see solutions.  We can't find hope.  We only find ourselves surrounded by problems--problems that seem to be closing in on us all the time.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it difficult to breathe in the midst of fog?  I don't know what it is.  I can be in the car, the house or outside, and the feeling is the same.  In a dense fog, my chest tightens and I find myself struggling to breathe.  It's like I'm inhaling smoke instead of water vapor.  I literally feel like I'm suffocating.  Crazy, isn't it?

Not so much when that fog is made up of trouble because trouble makes us worry.  And ironically enough, the word "worry" comes from a term that is literally translated "to strangle or choke."  Hmm, interesting.  So not only is worry a sin, but it's a serious health hazard as well.  But what do we do when we can't see God or His promises because of the dense fog of troubles surrounding us?  How can we cling to Him when we can't find Him?

It all starts with perspective.  Just as that huge bank of fog can be contained in a single glass, so can our huge bank of problems be contained in the single hand of God.  There is nothing that we're facing that He cannot handle.  If we will view our problems as single droplets instead of focusing on the immense fog they create when banding together, we'll see that each problem is not really that big.  Grasshoppers rather than giants.

As for not being able to see God, that's what the Bible is for.  When circumstances have us so blinded that we can't see beyond them, that is the perfect time to open up God's Word.  If we can't see Him in our story, then let's read about how He worked in the stories of others.  Let's remind ourselves how He delivered His children time and time again from all sorts of problems.  Let's reacquaint ourselves with His grace and mercy.  And you know what?  Before long, that fog begins to clear, and we can see God quite clearly--possibly even better than we did before the fog rolled in.

I have no idea what you're facing today, but I realize that it may seem overwhelming.  You may feel as if you're lost in a fog so deep that you'll never find your way out, but I assure you, God is in control.  What to you appears to be a deep, dense cloud is a mere glass of water in His eyes.  Trust in His goodness, and try to remember that all of your problems are in God's hands.  He'll see you through to the other side.  No need to worry.  No need to suffocate in the midst of your trouble.  Just lean on Him and look to Him the best that you can.  He will deliver you!