The Fog of War

  Military operations during the Civil War depended heavily on communications and intelligence to be successful. When one or both of these elements become compromised, the result is often called the Fog of War. This phrase encompasses all of the confusions and miscalculations that can occur during an actual combat situation. 

The most common forms of wartime communication were the spoken word, newspapers, mail, written reports and dispatches, and the telegraph. On the battlefield communication was achieved by the signal corps use of: wigwag flags or torches, battle flags, drums, and bugles. The new art of photography produced images of loved ones, military installations, landscapes, cityscapes and gruesomely, the dead on the battlefield. These important forms of communication were used to inform, control, and maneuver a commander's forces. On the other hand, an enemy would deploy counterfeit signals to confuse or intimidate the enemy. During battle things could get really obscured.

Several years ago I awoke to an extraordinarily foggy morning in Pittsburgh. The weather reminded me of the fog I used to experience when I lived in central California. It would get so extremely foggy, you literally could not see beyond the hood of your car. The only way to safely navigate was to follow the reflectors in the road. You could not stop, or even slow down for fear of being hit from behind. You did not dare follow the car in front of you, because it may be running off the road because of the fog. You could not risk pulling over either, since you did not know where the side of the road was, or someone might follow you over a ledge.

Christians today are encountering the same dangerous, foggy conditions, but in a spiritual sense. The Road of truth, morality, values, and who God is, have become an extremely treacherous road to travel. The clear skies of right and wrong, truth and error, have become increasing obscured by the fog of Man's opinions. What is the Believer to do, to safely navigate through such times? We do the same thing I did in California.

We follow the lines in the road.  We follow the clear plans of our Spiritual Commander in Chief.
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105

We follow the reflectors, set in the road by the designer.
"I Am the light of the world, they that follow me shall not walk in darkness."  John 8:12

We don't slow down or stop, because someone is surely following you.
"I have set you as lights to this world, that you would show them the way to safety." Acts 13:47