Revealing

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Eccl. 3:11, NIV)

I chose today’s photo of a morning fog beginning to lift over the Washington Pacific coastline simply to talk about the power of obscuration and the use of atmosphere to make a photo more interesting. In landscapes the presence of some sort of obscuring phenomena can serve to add mystery to the picture due to the fact that not everything is seen, and the viewer can focus more on what is seen and let their imagination fill in what may be beyond the obscuration.

The morning light in this photo is falling gently on the main subject of the rock stack with the water and shadows drawing the eye toward the rock and then beyond to the fog leaving one to wonder if there are more rock stacks in the fog or what may be beyond. It also leads the viewer to wonder if time was spent on the beach this particular morning, when would this all be revealed? If you enjoy photography of landscapes, search out obscuring atmosphere such as mist, fog, or rain to create more interest and deepen the mystery of the photo rather than simply showing everything all at once.

Often times in our own lives and as we watch history unfold around us we tend to get impatient with God and want all of the answers right now. The Bible itself is full of mystery and the more one studies it the more it becomes obvious that we know far less than is actually in there because the depths are limitless. It is very important to become comfortable simply understanding what can be understood and letting God reveal things when He chooses. If you are paying the slightest bit of attention to the world today and all of the unrest it is very easy to become uneasy and impatient and want all of the answers right now.

I would suggest that we need to live out this verse in Ecclesiastes to realize that the mysteries of God and the story He is writing in human history are something to savor as God slowly reveals it day by day. Notice the end of this verse - “no one can fathom what God has done…” the fact is that not only is it much more beautiful to wait for His timing but it is possible that if we knew everything all at once it would be overwhelming simply because we cannot possibly fathom it all.

I hope this post today has been encouraging to you and provided a place to rest in the Lord and wait on Him. God bless and have a wonderful day.