THE BEAUTY OF CLOUDS

 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)

                It is my habit to get up at 6:00 AM, have my breakfast, and then sit down for a time of devotions. The past couple of mornings I have been rewarded with some spectacular sunrises. This morning the sky was awash with reds and oranges. The sky was also filled with clouds. In an odd way, the clouds are what make for such a spectacular sunrise.

                Just down the road from our house there is a place on the shore of Lake Michigan where people park in the evening to watch the sunset. We have done it on several occasions. Interestingly, the best sunsets are seen when there are clouds in the sky. When there are no clouds, the sunset is just an intensely bright ball on the horizon. When the cloud cover is too thick, the sunset is a faint glow. But when there is the right amount of cloud cover, the sunset is amazing.

                As I was observing the sunrise this morning, I realized that it is when God allows clouds in our life that we see His glory the clearest. Peter wrote that God allows a certain amount of suffering and trials in our lives for this very purpose. It is when we go through these “cloudy” times in our life when our faith is refined. If we focus only on the clouds, we will miss God’s glory. If we intentionally look for God in the midst of the clouds, we will discover His glory.

                The bright sunny days of our life actually obscure the glory of God. We bask in the brightness, but forget that it comes from God’s hand. As Moses was preparing the people of Israel to enter the promised land, he warned them to not be enamored with the blessings they were going to inherit and forget God.  

When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (NIV)

                On the other hand, when the clouds are thick in our life it is hard for us to see God’s glory. We can become discouraged and feel like God has abandoned us. He has not, but it can truly feel that way. In those times we need to remember a simple truth. Even on the cloudiest, most dreary day, the sun is still shining. We just can’t see it. I have experienced this when I have gotten on an airplane on a dreary, cloud covered day, buckled in, taken off, broken through the clouds, and there, in all of its glory is the sun. On the cloudiest days of our lives, God is still present. His glory is not diminished, even if we cannot see it.

                But on those days when clouds skidder across our spiritual sky, if we pay attention, we will see clearly the glory and beauty of God displayed. We can feel the warmth of God penetrate through our clouds and into our soul. We can rest in the hope we have in Christ, knowing the end of our story is secure in Him. For He has promised never to leave us or forsake us; even on cloudy days.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)