“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You into Your holy temple.” Jonah 2:7
There is in warfare a condition called the “fog of war.” It is that state of being, and confinement of circumstances with its pressures and limitations, where the soldier does not see clearly the situation. The lack of perception may have many causes, but the end is the same, a situation where clarity is essential, and yet clarity which is not to be immediately had. What does one do spiritually in such a case?
In the Old Testament as well as in the New, we find individuals who answered God’s call, in times like this, to “remember.” It was a call, as in the case of Jonah in the belly of a fish, to specifically remember the Lord. Why? The entire basis and essence of his faith had but one Object, and in his case, one source of deliverance. So, his testimony was, “I remembered the Lord.” That was the beginning of a clarity of vision renewed.
In the book of Revelation, the church in Ephesus, in an entirely different context and circumstance, found herself in great jeopardy. Though sound in doctrine and fervent in zeal, she did not see that she was completely fallen. In the fog of her zeal, she had forgotten the first thing, individual worship and communion with Christ by the Spirit. She was called by God to “remember.”
In Psalm 73, we find the Psalmist writing of being overwhelmed to the point where he declared, “…my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (v.2,3) He went on to write, “…When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me – UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” (v.16,17) In the example of the Ephesian church, she had become distracted, having neglected the first thing, all in the service of God. For the Psalmist, the reason for which he was distracted, or disoriented in his circumstances, in his “fog of war,” was that he was overwhelmed by the mountainous opposition to God, revealed by his enemies, and the godless lives of those around him. Though for a different reason, the church of Ephesus and the Psalmist, were brought to the same place, a place which even Jonah found at the bottom of the sea. What then is the basic thing one must do?
There must be a returning to the “first thing,” if the clarity of God and His ways in the difficult situation is to be restored and grasped. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He countered the temptations by being in fellowship with His Father, then remembering the Scriptures. He came back to the basics of first living by “…every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) The truth of God’s word is paramount to seeing clearly when physical sight cannot discern what is true. Secondly, He countered Satan by declaring, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” (v.7) Man was not created to counsel God or seek to manipulate Him to do man’s will. True faith submits to God’s authority, believingly following Christ. And lastly, that which is primary in true service, is that born out of a life, in action and attitude, of worshipping God. Jesus would declare to Satan: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY you shall serve.” (v.10) It is in going back to the basics of quiet aloneness with God, to worship Him by the Spirit and in truth, that God reveals Himself to the heart by the Spirit. The man who will truly wait upon God, depending upon Him alone to reveal His will and give wisdom to the seeking heart, is the one who will receive from Him what he needs to overcome, especially when things are not clear. In that place and attitude of worship God gives His clarity.
Dear Father, Teach us to worship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.