The Daily Devotional
Friday, December 5, 2025
Faith in the Fog: Trusting God in Life’s Great Mysteries
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever…” — Deuteronomy 29:29
“He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.” — Mark 4:39
Introduction
Some mysteries linger through the ages, refusing to give us the answers we long for. Scripture reminds us that God reveals what we need to know—and keeps hidden what we do not. Advent invites us into this rhythm of holy patience, where the unknown becomes a place of quiet expectation rather than fear.
Reflection
In 1872, the British brig Dei Gratia encountered the American merchant vessel Mary Celeste drifting empty near the Azores. Her hull was sound, her provisions plentiful, her cargo untouched—yet her crew had vanished without a trace. For more than a century and a half, theories have come and gone, but the truth remains elusive. The Mary Celeste persists as one of maritime history’s great unsolved mysteries.
For anyone who has spent time on the water, the sea reveals itself as beautiful, unpredictable, and deeply humbling. Mariners discover early that human understanding has limits. You can walk a deck and feel the ocean rise and fall beneath your feet in ways that defy explanation, or watch the weather turn quicker than any instrument warns. Such moments have a way of instilling reverence.
Life brings its own “Mary Celeste moments”—experiences that drift into our days without warning, offering no clear answers. A medical test that raises more questions than it resolves. A loved one’s sudden silence. A change of direction you didn’t anticipate. These moments remind us that not all mysteries are meant to be solved; some are meant to be entrusted.
Advent speaks into this space. Like the disciples caught in the storm of Mark 4, we often panic when the winds rise around us, forgetting that Christ is still present—even when He seems silent. Advent teaches us to wait with hope, knowing the One who commands the seas also guides us through the fog of uncertainty.
Application
Today, entrust the mysteries you cannot untangle to the God who holds all knowledge. Rather than searching endlessly for explanations, seek the peace that comes from surrender. Allow Advent to turn your questions into prayers and your uncertainties into places where Christ can speak, “Peace, be still.”
Conclusion
The Mary Celeste reminds us that not every puzzle will be solved in this life—but faith does not rest on answers. It rests on God. As you journey through Advent, may you find comfort not in understanding everything, but in trusting the One who knows all things.
Prayer
Lord God, in this season of waiting and wonder, calm my heart when I face what I cannot explain. Teach me to trust You with the mysteries that trouble my mind and the uncertainties that cloud my days. As You stilled the stormy sea, speak peace into my spirit, and guide me through every fog with Your steady light. In hope and expectation, I watch for Your presence. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV)© 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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