When the Mists have Rolled Away
Written By: Chris Mace
Faith is like lobster fishing before GPS technology. Fishermen used compasses, running times, buoy colors, fog horns, visible land marks, and knowledge of the fishing grounds to find their lobster pots. With that knowledge, they had confidence they would locate their gear even in low visibility.
Our belief systems unfold as we weave through foggy ideas and unexplained mysteries. Guided by intellects, physical senses, experiences, and influencers, we gather evidences to develop and substantiate our developing world views. Yet, we all have to “walk by faith not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) We can do so with confidence in God when we listen to important voices speak to our uncertainties even though answers to many religious, metaphysical questions are speculative and will never be clearly defined during our earthly search.
Creation whispers, even sings, and practically shouts for us to ponder origin, design, beauty, harmony, and mysteries as it points us to the Creator. The Psalmist was overwhelmed when he looked at the night sky: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place… O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:3-9)
Scripture’s powerful truths and the awesome revelations of Christ are crucial voices which should not be ignored in our pursuit of meaning. General information may be incomplete, confusing, or unreliable, but God’s Word is an unchanging guide for dealing with a dark world. “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever. And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)
Christ’s resurrection and Good News are messages of eternal hope. The “ word of Christ lights the way” to eternal life with God. (Psalm 119:105). (Romans 10:17) (John 6:68).
These evidences, like those of the fisherman, direct us to conclusions. They assure us that our faith will not fail to attain its expectations. In 1890, Anne Herbert wrote a hymn recognizing mysteries but expressing confidence in the outcome of faith’s journey:
When the mists have rolled in splendor/ From the beauty of the hills/ And the sunlight falls in gladness/ On the river and the rills/ We recall our Father’s promise/ In the rainbow of the spray/ We shall know each other better/ When the mists have cleared away.
