Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - The Fog Cannot Win - #4316

Monday, July 28, 2003

Even though I was very busy speaking at a conference, I was blessed with a beautiful mountain cabin as my accommodation while I was there. The best time, and about the only time I could enjoy it, was early in the morning. This cabin has a large porch from which you can see majestic forest views and an awe-inspiring tapestry of green mountains and deep valleys. As I stepped out onto that porch one morning, the scenery had undergone a significant makeover. The fog was winning. I watched as these large clouds of fog billowed up, first filling the valley below and then steadily rising to totally obscure the mountains. It looked almost as if the mountains were being consumed by fog. So, the morning light from the sun that should have been illuminating the area by that time was nowhere to be seen. Well, briefly. You know what happened. The sun continued to rise behind the conquering fog, and in a short time, that fog began to quickly shrink - and soon disappear.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Fog Cannot Win."

The fog never really stands a chance - it's no match for the inevitable victory of the sun - in a majestic mountain landscape, or in the dark moments of your life and mine. And it could be that you're in one of those seasons right now. It's been a time of loss, of grief, of doubt and confusion, of a prodigal loved one, of no answers. Maybe you've been walking through a fog where evil seems to be winning; where injustice seems to be prevailing. The fog has rolled into your life and obscured things you were once so sure of. It's covered the joy you once had with a sense of sadness and fear and even thoughts of giving up.

But if you belong to the Sovereign Lord, the One who rules the galaxies and cares about your daily bread, the fog cannot ultimately win! The sun of God's power and love on your life is more powerful than the fog in your valley, no matter how dense and stubborn that fog may seem to be. Psalm 84:11 promises that "the Lord God is a sun and a shield ... no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

And in our word for today from the Word of God, you have five hope-filled words straight from your Father's heart to yours. They're in Psalm 112:4 - "Even in darkness light dawns." Okay, let's get the context of that promise for every foggy day. "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man." Don't let the darkness change the kind of person you are. Your mission is to keep on being gracious, keep on being upright, keep on being compassionate. Don't let the light inside you go out. Psalm 112 goes on 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."

Bottom line: the fog that seems so impenetrable right now actually stands no chance against the rising Sun of your Lord's breakthrough. The evil may have its hour of filling your horizon, but Sun is going to win! The grief will not last forever. Your prodigal will one day be carried home in the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. The doubts you're having in the darkness cannot change what you heard from God when it was light. The answers you need will break through your confusion and struggle. The sadness of the fog is going to succumb to the joy of God's much more powerful sunlight.

Yes, the fog has been billowing up, filling your view - and maybe even making you forget the sun sometimes. But the fog can never ultimately win. Don't lose hope now. Don't stop trusting now. Don't stop doing what you know is right just because the fog has rolled in. The light may have been delayed, but there's no way it can be canceled. "Even in darkness light dawns." The sun's coming up, and the fog doesn't stand a chance!