Pastor’s Corner: “Cloud Cover”
Job 37:16 (AMPC) – 16 Do you know how the clouds are balanced [and poised in the heavens], the wonderful works of Him Who is perfect in knowledge? Genesis 1:6-7 (NLT) – 6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.
There are many amazing and wonderful things throughout our world that we take for granted. One of these is clouds. Have you ever wondered why clouds float? The answer, I discovered, is that condensed moisture, descending by gravity, meets warmer temperatures rising from the land. That moisture then changes into vapor and ascends back into the air. That’s a natural explanation for the phenomenon. But natural explanations are not final answers. Clouds float because God in His wisdom has ordered the natural laws in such a way that they reveal the “wonders of him who has perfect knowledge”(Job 37:16).
There is a wonderful connection throughout Scripture of clouds being associated with the very presence and nearness of God. In Exodus 13 & 14, remember how God led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the Wilderness and protected them by a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night? In Exodus 24 on Mt. Sinai God revealed His great power and justice by a cloud that looked like “a consuming fire on top of Mt. Sinai.” (Exodus 24:17). Again, God revealed His presence when the glory of the Lord filled the Holy of Holies of the Temple. 2 Chronicles 5:14 – (NLT) – The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God.
In the New Testament God revealed His presence in a cloud on the mount of transfiguration as Peter offered to build three shelters for Moses, Elijah and Jesus: “behold, a bright enveloped them, and behold a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’” (Matthew 17:5). Forty days after Jesus’ death and resurrection He ascended into heaven, “a cloud hid Jesus from the sight of His disciples,” and while His disciples “were looking intently up into the sky… suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them (promising) This same Jesus… will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9, 11).And John writes in Revelation, “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.” (1:7)
God’s voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” God is near and He is still speaking to us today through His Son Jesus. Are you listening? What are your clouds? In other words, how do you discern Jesus’ voice and direction for your life? You don’t have to be dependent on somebody else to discern God’s will for your life. Jesus’ voice is always speaking and God’s will is always being broadcast. The issue is we aren’t always tuned in.
God is near and He is covering us with the cloud of His Presence. Like the wonder and beauty of the clouds in the sky that we can take for granted and miss, do not miss God’s guidance, direction and protection in your life as His presence (pillar of cloud) leads you. Canaan (The Promised land) was a place the Israelites had never been and were unsure how to get to as they were escaping Egypt. In this stage of your life, what are you most unsure about? What are you seeking a pillar of cloud for?
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton