Encouragement

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Clouds of part of life. Clouds of disappointment, hurt, and rejection, that is. Often they turn grey and seem to totally cover the refreshing warmth of our peaceful sky. And it is often in those times when we are already downcast that the really BIG cloud comes out of nowhere. The tornado appears. Our heart gets ripped apart and left shattered as if a tornado had hit it.

But there is hope in our cloudy times as well. There are some interesting and exciting facts about clouds that should not be overlooked. God speaks out of the midst of clouds! The Bible relates various incidences where God made himself known through a cloud. Let's look at just a few of them.

"And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day, [God] called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud" (Exodus 24:16).

"And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him and gave it unto the seventy elders" (Numbers 11:25a).

"While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." (Matthew 17:5).

These are just some of the scriptures where reference is made of God speaking from the midst of a cloud. Could it be that if we open our spirit to listen, that He will also speak to us today through the clouds that come into our life?

Whether it be a tiny cloud, or a huge billowy cloud that overshadows our life, you can be certain that God is in the midst of it. Just as He spoke literally in Bible times, He speaks today - to our spirit, and confirms it in His Word.

To our clouds of fear, He speaks, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee. Be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10).

When clouds of rejection hang low, God speaks, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5b).

When you have lost all hope and you know only doubt and unbelief, God is there to speak to you.
Someone once said, "Unbelief is criminal because it is a moral act - an act of the whole nature. Belief or unbelief is a test of a man's whole spiritual condition because it is the whole being, affections, will, conscience, as well as the understanding, which are concerned in it."

God is not pleased with unbelief, but still His love reaches beyond our unbelief and lovingly speaks, "Why are ye fearful, Oh, ye of little faith. If thou canst believe, all things are possible" (Matthew 8:26).

Satan would have us believe that all hope is gone, but Jesus said, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." His words break through the darkest clouds of doubt with rays of light and hope.

Yes, clouds will come - sickness, pain, rejection, betrayal, or the death of a loved one - but if we will look through the eyes of faith, God i there to lead us through those times. He has ben there already and He knows the way out of the darkness.

"He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:18).

In the darkest of hours, He will be there to bring comfort.

"I will extend peace to you like a river, as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you" (Isaiah 66:12,13).

Have you allowed the clouds in your life to dim your vision of Jesus? Don't lose hope - BE A CLOUD GAZER! for one day soon, the Bible says, for those who have accepted His gift of life - Christ will come in the clouds of Heaven!

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (where?) - in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians 4:16-18).

"Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. Even so, amen" (Revelations 1:7)

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