Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
One evening as I delivered orders from a home party, the driving got difficult. My last delivery was way out in the country, about ten miles from home and a mile from the nearest highway. No streetlights, no lines on the road, just chip and seal pavement barely two cars wide, and that’s where I was when the fog settled in.
This was the thickest fog I’ve ever been through. I couldn’t see the road in front of me. The tall weeds lining the road kept me centered. I drove painfully slow, keeping my lights focused on the weeds. I was terrified. So, of course, I prayed.
I truly believe God is almighty and able to do anything. I believe Jesus when he says, “Ask for anything in my name . . .” So as I crawled along, I prayed, and as I prayed, I cried. I asked God to lift the fog. In fact I begged Him to allow me to be able to see. I praised Him for His power, and I pleaded for His protection . . . and a miracle.
I only needed to travel about a mile on that dirt road; but at less than five miles per hour, I had a plenty of time to pray.
The longer I drove, the more I wondered why God refused to answer my prayer. You see, I was and am still sure God had the power to lift that fog. I believe my heavenly Father was and is in the business of doing the extraordinary. In fact, remembering that evening, I think I used that exact phrase in my prayer.
So, after about 15 minutes, having traveled about a half mile, I began to question my faith. I’d heard more than one preacher teach how lack of faith can keep our prayers from being answered. Since I felt confident God could lift this terrible fog if He wanted, I deduced the problem must lie in my lack of faith. So, my prayer changed. I began to plead with Christ to increase my faith, to help me see where it was lacking. And as I did, I heard God.
When I hear God, it’s generally not an audible voice. It’s usually more a feeling, a thought popping into my head, and I recognize it as something I’d not thought of on my own. And this time I heard, “It takes more faith to trust me as you drive through the fog, than it does to have me lift it.”
I grew very quiet in my spirit. I had wanted God to do the miraculous, the extraordinary, the marvelous, and I believe He can work that way. However, in this case, God wanted to change me instead of my circumstances.
It’s not easy when God decides to make us into better people. But it’s not easy on the clay when the potter finds a mar and works it out. This lesson has stayed with me and helped me through bigger trials than a dense fog. When my husband’s sister was lying in bed, breathing her last because of cancer, I had to remember that it takes more faith to believe God is in control even when we’re hurting, than it does to have her healed. When someone I cared for hurt me, and I felt as though my heart was being ripped out, God reminded me it takes more faith to stay true to the Savior than it does to change the heart of another person.
Faith is being sure of what I hope for. I am sure God has bigger and better things in store for me than I can possibly imagine. It may not come on my timetable, but God will deliver on all of His promises. It’s my job to hope for them and have faith God will come through.
Faith is being certain of what I do not see. I did not see the road, but I became certain God would get me home without incident. I do not always see goodness, but I am certain God meant it when He said He works all things for my good. I do not physically see God, but I am certain He is moving in my life.
It takes no faith to walk where you can see. So, the next time you feel as though life has you blindfolded, keep trusting that God will not let you fall or stray off the path. It’s OK, take my word for it, He can get you home even when you’re in a very thick fog.
