February 22, 2010
Jesus in the Fog
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (NLT)
Devotion:
I was full of emotions as my husband and I drove to pick up my dad for surgery. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I was worried about the extensive surgery that he would face later that morning. I was anxious, knowing that the possibility existed to receive very bad news from the surgeon. I was fretting over various circumstances, and as I prayed for God to intervene, I began to feel hot tears stinging my eyes.
But then, through those tears, I saw something in the fog.
Due to the dense, heavy fog, my husband was driving slowly when I noticed the figure in the distance, walking straight towards us. I thought it was odd for anyone to be walking outside on such a cool and foggy morning, but as we got closer, my eyes widened, and my heart began to pound.
This figure began to resemble a silhouette of someone I recognized - someone who should not be standing in the middle of the road on a misty, foggy morning. As we approached this person, in front of my dad's house, I noticed that he had on baggy tan pants, a soft white shirt, and was wearing no shoes. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with brown wavy hair and a full beard, neatly kept. He looked peaceful and kind.
He looked exactly like Jesus.
My heart skipped a beat. My thoughts were racing. My intellectual mind knew that Jesus would not be standing in the middle of a road on a foggy day in a small beach town in North Carolina, but my heart told me that He was there. I could not take my eyes off of this person, as chill bumps flushed my body from head to toe. As we drove slowly past him, this man in the fog made direct eye contact with me, and a sweet, gentle smile washed over his face.
For those brief moments, it felt as if I was looking into the eyes of Jesus, and a feeling of peace flooded through me. It was as if His holy peace penetrated my heart, and assured me that, regardless of the outcome, everything would be okay. Throughout that day at the hospital, I could not get the man in the fog out of my head, and I truly felt as if I had experienced a Jesus encounter.
Now I am not saying that I actually saw Jesus, of course, but I do believe that He divinely designed that meeting in the road, and that He used a sign that I would recognize as Him, to saturate my heart with the reminder that He really does walk among us. God knew I needed to know that He saw my daddy, understood my fears, and cared. He also knew I really needed to "see" Him that day.
Throughout life, we are all faced with fears of the unknown and personal problems that seem hopeless or scary, and it is so easy to get caught up in our emotions, forgetting to look for God. In some situations, we may even find ourselves wondering if God is really aware of our problems, and doubt if He really cares, but 1 Peter 5:7 is a sweet reminder that He is aware, He does care, and He is with us.
At times, life can make us feel like we are in a fog - a fog so dense and heavy that it seems nearly impossible to feel or see God at all. But even if we can't "see" Him, He has promised to be with us, if we surrender our hearts and sincerely seek out His face. Then as we walk with Him, and sincerely believe He is walking with us, we enter into a place to receive His provisions, His blessings, His comfort and His peace.
When we prepare our hearts to experience Him, He will prepare our eyes to see Him.
Dear Lord, I seek Your Face with my whole heart. Help me to see You in a special way. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Journey to the Well by Diana Wallis Taylor
Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch by Max Lucado
Visit Tracie at her blog today
Application Steps:
If you are full of fearful or discouraged emotions today, close your eyes - picture Jesus walking in the fog, straight towards you, with eyes full of love, a heart full of compassion, and a smile that melts you heart.
Reflections:
Have I had a hard time seeing God in the midst of my life lately?
Are emotions and doubts clouding my vision?
Do I fully trust God to work in my situations?
Power Verses:
Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." (KJV)
Matthew 5:8, "You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world." (MSG)
© 2010 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
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Matthews, NC 28105
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