I loaded up the car with my tiny family and set off on a sort of pilgrimage. We drove through the night until we reached mountains, snow, and the sweet, earthy smell of pine.

I had felt compelled to go, stirred up by that familiar internal wind, that blows and lures us to follow. I felt like God’s voice would be waiting for me there in the mountains.

There’s a spot my husband and I like to go. It overlooks a series of valleys. We’ve stood on that rock in every season. We’ve seen sunsets that made us silent and watched as wildfire swept over the ridge below. We’ve heard the howl of wind as it weaves through the canyon.

Today was different though, something I’d never experienced. A storm had come through the night before and we caught the tail end of it.  Several inches of fresh powder made the rocks look smooth and fluffy.

“OK, Lord”, I prayed, “What do you want to say?”

I let the stillness of winter hold me for a minute and freeze out my anxiety. Listened deeply for that which remained.

“Clarity.”

Well this was ironic. I literally couldn’t see beyond 30 feet. The skyline was concealed behind thick cloud coverage. I couldn’t make out the ground below

“Clarity”, I heard again.

I looked out over the ledge, but this time I kept my eyes closed. I felt the snowflakes whip against my face, the solid stone beneath my feet keeping me anchored.

I knew this place. Without even seeing it, I knew it.

The year ahead is full of unknowns. Low visibility, you might say. We can’t see all that the Lord has planned. We stand on the edge of familiar places, between the known and the unknown, the plans we make and the mystery of circumstance.

In the goodness of his leadership God speaks: “Clarity. I have given you eyes to see.”

You don’t need to know what’s out there before you move. You can be confident in faith because you’ve stood here before. You, beloved, can close your eyes and look out over the edge with confidence.

Only goodness goes before you. Mercy. Kindness. Love.

Regardless of what is hidden in 2019, we know this to be true;  the Spirit of God within us desires to lead us into Light and Life. With our natural eyes the view is foggy. If we look deeper through the eyes of our heart we can peer into the unknown and truly see.

He is waiting for us in the mystery.

“And I pray that the eyes of your heart (the very center and core of your being) may be enlightened (flooded with light by the Holy Spirit), so that you will know and cherish the hope (the divine guarantee, the confident expectation) to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints” 

– Ephesians 1:18 (Amplified Version)