When in a Spiritual Fog


Jesus’ two-stage healing of a blind man (Mark 8:22–26) is a metaphor for Christians who have some spiritual sight but lack clarity, So, how can I move from confusion to clear, whole vision?

The biblical picture: between blindness and sight

In the unusual miracle where Jesus first touches the blind man, the man then says, “I see men as trees, walking”, and only after a second touch sees “every man clearly.” This was intentional: Jesus is illustrating a common spiritual condition—people who are not wholly blind to the gospel, yet do not see it distinctly or personally.

The phrase “men as trees, walking” thus becomes a label for a hazy, half-healed state: some knowledge, some experience, but distorted and unclear.

1. Many Christians live in a dangerous middle state

It is “sad and tragic” for me to remain miserable and uncertain, neither fully blind nor fully seeing. I may:

  • Know doctrines but don’t grasp how they apply personally.

  • Understand that Jesus is Savior in general, but not clearly “my Savior.”

  • Have a divided heart and will—partly engaged, partly held back.

This partial sight is spiritually dangerous because it can look like faith while lacking its power and assurance.

2. Two temptations in this state: premature claims and despair

Two opposite errors:

  • Claiming full sight too soon: insisting “I’m fine spiritually” when vision is still blurred.

  • Sliding into despair: concluding, “I’ll never see clearly,” and giving up on growth.

Both are forms of dishonesty about my real condition before God.

3. Honesty with God is the starting point for cure

The blind man’s key response is simple truth-telling: when Jesus asks if he sees, he admits, “I see men as trees, walking.” Spiritual healing begins when I:

  • Acknowledge my lack of clarity instead of pretending.

  • Tell the Lord exactly where I am confused or dull.

  • Refuse both self-deception and self-condemnation.

Honesty opens the way for further work by Christ.

4. Clear sight requires submission of mind, heart, and will

Unclear vision often reflects incomplete surrender. Three areas that must be brought under Christ:

  • Understanding: learning and submitting to biblical truth, not just collecting ideas.

  • Heart: allowing truth to engage my affections, not just my intellect.

  • Will: committing to act on what I know, not holding back in key areas.

Until all three are yielded, vision remains distorted—like seeing shapes without detail.

5. The cure is persistent, childlike dependence on Christ

I must heed the strong call to:

  • Say, “I want the truth, whatever it costs.”

  • Bind myself to that commitment before God.

  • Come in “utter submission as a little child,” pleading for clear sight and wholeness.

I am not meant to remain in doubt and unhappiness; Christ is willing to touch me again until I see “every man clearly.”

Practical takeaways for spiritual depression

For someone experiencing spiritual depression or dullness:

  • Name your condition honestly: “Lord, my vision is blurred; I don’t see You or my life clearly.”

  • Refuse both pretense and despair: don’t claim full health I don’t have, but don’t assume no healing is possible.

  • Invite Christ’s second touch: ask specifically for clarity in doctrine, personal application, and obedience.

  • Submit understanding, heart, and will: identify where I am holding back and yield those areas to Him.

  • Expect progress, not instant perfection: like the blind man, I may need repeated dealings with Christ, but the goal is full, clear sight.

The same Jesus who would not leave the blind man half-healed will not abandon me in spiritual fog, but calls me into honest confession and wholehearted surrender until my vision is made clear.

My Notes from Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s chapter “Men as Trees, Walking” in Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure 

Photo: American Samoa

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