The Mists will Clear

John Keats wrote a poem about ‘autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, and recently on a church visit to a ‘quintessential English village’ I encountered such a time. Driving to the venue in the morning we encountered thick mist with very low visibility but by mid-morning the sun was shining warmly and the autumn colours of the trees were fully revealed. Of course they had been there all the time, we just couldn’t see them!

I was reminded of Paul’s comment in 1 Corinthians 13:12, that although now our vision of God is but a poor reflection, eventually we shall have the full revelation of that glory. To use a word common amongst our Young People’s Team – that will be awesome!

How hard it is for us in this life to keep a clear vision of the Lord? We live more and more by what we experience and can actually see. Yet we are called to walk by faith, not sight. Our problem is keeping the vision of Jesus as we have Him revealed through Scripture despite the mists of everyday life. That biblical picture is to be enhanced by our experiences of God. The Spirit is here to give life, not to replace the Bible’s revelation of God with a series of subjective experiences alone.

How many of us would love to have that face-to-face encounter we see with such biblical characters as Jacob, Moses, and Paul or hear of from those who have had ‘death-back-to-life’ experiences? But we may have to wait until eternity.

For now we are to be satisfied with the ongoing relationship we have with the Lord. That relationship comes through our study of the Word, our worship and prayer, our fellowship with other believers and our daily life in the Spirit as we serve Christ and one another. A season of mists maybe, but glory to come. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Thank you that one day all the mists will clear and that for now we can trust You who is above all the mists and the darkness of this world's systems. In Jesus. Amen