Clouds

 



I never really noticed them before,

Clouds.

They're everywhere. But different everywhere. At least they must be. Because I never noticed them until now. I've seen them, but never really thought much about them. I don't remember another time when I've been so captivated with them, taken by their brilliance and beauty.

I've lived on Lake Erie most of my life; spent ten years in Toledo. But I never noticed the clouds before, that is, until my first few days in Columbus. Driving around the city I realized that I was seeing such magnificent displays of clouds rising seemingly out of the earth. And I found myself causing several near traffic jams as I tried to maneuver my car through crowded streets while trying to snap the perfect picture of these perfectly white and fluffy clouds with my phone (I wish I could say iphone, but I can't).

So why now? Why suddenly have I realized the beauty of clouds? 

I don't know. I just did. 

God is like that isn't He? The magnificence and mystery of Who He is, the wonder and perfection of His creation. 

It all cries out,

"God is beautiful and extravagant".

What is it about clouds that is so alluring? So inspiring?

Perhaps it's that, throughout scripture, the presence of God Himself was in the clouds,(Exodus 19:9; 24:16; 34:5) and that His glory filled the place where the cloud was (Exodus 16:10; 40:38; Numbers 10:34).

Perhaps it's that God chose to introduce Himself to the people of Israel in a cloud. 

"Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him, and proclaimed His name, the LORD."  Exodus 34:5

Well, that's Old Testament right? What's the New Testament have to say about clouds?

Jesus says in Matthew 24:30, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." 

And in Matthew 26:64, while on trial for His life and standing before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin, Jesus says, "In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."


Clearly, there's a pattern. Mark and Luke both give witness to the same (Mark 13:26; 14:62 & Luke 21:27) and in Revelation 1:7 we read, "Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So it shall be! Amen."

Imagine the traffic jams on that day!

I guess clouds are meant to allure, to inspire, to command our attention. They stand as a interminable sign reminding us of Who God is and of what is to come.

So to wrap things up, and I mean, all things, take a minute and think about this. Just as Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection (Acts 1:9), He'll return for His bride, the church, in the same way.

"And after that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

Are you ready?