Submitted by Dr. David L. Bittinger - Pastoral Counselor

The Fog That Can’t Win

I woke up early in the morning looking forward to another beautiful spring sunrise. As I peered out the eastern window, rather than seeing the golden rays of sunshine the scenery had undergone a significant change. Dense fog covered everything. As I walked to the mailbox the billows of fog rolled over the houses in the neighborhood and filled the street. It looked almost like our homes were being consumed by the fog. The morning light from the sun that should have been streaming down upon us by this time in the morning was no where to be found. Briefly, it looked like the fog was winning. However, experience reminded me that the sun would rise above the menacing fog, and in a short time, the fog began to quickly fade under the power of the piercing sunshine.

The fog never stood a chance; it is no match for the inevitable victory of the sun even in Northeast Ohio, or in the foggy moments in our lives. Maybe you’re in one of those seasons at this time. It’s been a time of loss, of pain, of confusion, of doubt, or a time of just no answers. Maybe you’ve been living in a fog where evil seems to be winning. The fog has rolled into your life and obscured things that you once were very sure of. It’s covered the joy you once had with a mist of sadness and despair and even ideas of giving up. But if you trust in Jesus Christ, the One who rules the universe and cares about you personally, the fog can’t win! The sun of God’s power and love in your life is greater than the fog that surrounds you, no matter how thick, no matter how overwhelming that fog may seem. Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

God gives us hope right from His heart, “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man” (Psalm 112:4 NIV). The dark, dense fog should not change the person you are. You should continue to be a gracious, compassionate and kind individual. Don’t let the light of God inside you be dimmed by the rolling fog around you. Psalm 112 continues to say: “Good will come to him…surely he will never be shaken…he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord…in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”

In the end the fog that seems so overwhelming and in impenetrable presently doesn’t stand a chance against the rising sun of God’s penetrating power. Evil may seem to have it’s time in your vista, but the Son it going to win! The grief and pain will not last forever. The sadness and despair of the fog is going to give way to God’s wonderful sunlight. Don’t lose hope. Don’t stop trusting. Don’t stop doing what is right just because the fog has come. The light may seem slow in coming, but it can’t be stopped. The sun’s rising up and the fog can’t win.

Pastor David Bittinger

Christian Life Center - Kent, OH