The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. Exodus 14:9

For several mornings this week the fog has rolled in. Very often in autumn Meadows Valley is thickly slathered with fog from valley floor to the mountain peaks. It can be quite beautiful especially when the air crystallizes and the cat tails in the pastures are thickened with hoar frost.

Sometimes, though, the fog is so thick it seems to have swallowed up my entire yard into its grey belly. I can’t see past the driveway nor up the hillside. The sky disappears into the horizon but there’s nowhere to fix my eyes. I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. My vision shrinks to whatever is directly in front of me. I know the birds and deer are nearby but they are elusive, grey shadows. Such dense fog wraps itself around the soul. It is heavy on the heart like an old unwashed blanket or an unwelcome touch.

Fog is an apt metaphor for those troubled times when God’ piercing light seems to have gone out. The path in front of us is obscured so we tip toe tentatively, fearful of stumbling. Not knowing what surrounds us is crippling. What is familiar becomes strange. Dangers lurk and blessings are hidden. We feel disoriented and lost. In unfamiliar surroundings fog causes vertigo where it’s literally impossible to tell up from down. It is not a pleasant sensation.

“Oh, Lord, where are You? Get me out of this,” I complain. The unsettling aspect of fog is that without any sense of space , without visible connection to close by things, the mind plays tricks. Does God even know where we are? Does He even care? Am I here all alone? When in spiritual “fogginess”, time becomes endless. Trials happen, the fog moves in and, suddenly here I am losing my way, not knowing when God will bring me out into the light again. The grey timelessness of “being in the fog” requires great courage just to stay put, not to thrash one’s way out of it.

When fog or cloud or darkness come, it may very well be God’s protection over us. If we camp in the Lord’s secret place, He promises to hide us beneath the shadow of His wings so that neither terror nor pestilence nor the enemies’ arrows can penetrate. We reside in God’s safety zone. The Bible describes how “the cloud” hid the Israelites from their foes.

So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; Exodus14:9

The Israelites were hidden from their enemies by the Angel of the Lord who moved the cloud from before them in the day time to their rear guard at night. It was Israel’s enemies who could not see them. God always knew where they were.
Jesus said that the Father knows the exact number of hairs on our heads. His eyes never leave us. In other words God never ceases looking at us. He Always knows where we are, whether in blazing sunshine or in deepest fog. Day and night are as one to Him.

…and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night.

When it is of God, the cloud (or fog) of darkness gives light even in the darkness. Such is His power. If He chooses to cover us for a short while or for a long season, it may not be for us to know His reasons. No matter where we find ourselves, in light or darkness, with clear perspective or lost in foggy obscurity, Jesus is near by. He holds out His hand to lead us onward or outward. There is no greater promise than this one: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus promises to be nigh no matter what. Period and exclamation point!

You and I are never left to navigate through fog by ourselves. But when it comes, as it must, fear not. Rather thank the Father who hides us in His Son, to save, to redeem and to protect.