Author: astherainandsnow

“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’  And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'” Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho with souls in mind. Crowds gathered and murmured as the wandering Hebrew passed through town, wondering how close they could get, where would He go, what would He do? Interested only in His personae, curious activities, and disarming words, the big people proved their small, petty thinking by grumbling at Christ’s attention to Zaccheus. They missed the larger point of Christ’s compassion and mercy, His mission to save. Only the small rich tax collector had large enough ambition to seek Jesus Himself.

How petty our outlook and small our lives can become when we stay in the crowd. Without the Lord’s large vision, we can grow narrow in desire and pointed in complaint. We can reduce God to an imagination limited by provincialism, prejudice, and preference, and majoring on minors, miss His point. Jesus goes after, draws out, and transforms those compelled to know Him.

As Lord of the whole world, He piques His children’s awareness and concern for significant truth, relationships, and mission- the majors in His broad kingdom. He saves individuals drastically for grand purpose, and sanctifies them for His broad glory. Instead of being persnickety over minor quabbles and consumed with insignificant opinions, the earnest believer goes after Jesus Himself and how He can multiply their spiritual fruit, develop their reach and influence on the world.

Do I identify more as a grousing member of the crowd, or one who goes the distance to get close to Jesus? What does my observation of Him in His word and world evoke in me- criticism, resistance, demanding my better judgment? Or humbled gratitude, wonder at His marvelous grace, hungry desire to be more like Him? Where has my heart grown hard, legalistic, or judgmental? Am I so intent on minor discomforts and grievances with others that I fail to see God or step back to consider His higher purpose? How can I redirect desire and effort to God’s plan over my own? When we focus on the minor and temporal and neglect the major and eternal, we miss out on many glories of the Lord’s intent in everyday life.

Father, keep me favoring and pursuing Your ways and work, to Your honor.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.” Psalm 90:1

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true… It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death…’

“I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb… Nothing unclean will ever enter it,.. only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more… The Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 21:1-8,22-23,27; 22:4-5

The dwelling place that is the Lord, spoken of by Moses, is the same dwelling place for His children from eternity past to eternity future. What is promised is prepared and personal and certain, a reminder of the constancy and infinitude of God and our hope. While we dwell in spirit with Him now here below, the partial knowing will be fully revealed when we see Him face to face. (John 14: 1-3; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2)

The promise of life forevermore is as sure as it is broad. What has always been and is now will forever be, and will be made new. Unending intimacy, constant communion, unbroken fellowship, constantly fresh and reviving. Present hope and certain spiritual reality will become actual, tangible reality. God’s people will be forever satisfied, every longing and thirst will be perfectly quenched, evil and suffering, sadness and pain, sin and guilt will be forever removed.

Are we living in the astounding hope and fresh mercy of this promise? What causes us to bemoan limited vision, to stay entrapped in sinful situations or long-held resentments? How can the certainty of God’s abiding love, strength, wisdom, and power inspire action today? Acknowledging and tapping into God’s dwelling with us should prompt bold and joy-filled living. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)

Lord, cause me to delight in and boldly hope in Your eternal dwelling place with me, for Your glory.

“Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem… And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

“In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. He brought in the priests and Levites… and said to them, ‘Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to God… Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. Our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord… in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.'” 2 Chronicles 29:1-11

From day one, without immediate predecessor example, Hezekiah understood his call as Judah’s king and seized his responsibility. He understood the times and consequences of sin. Desiring to please his Lord, he immediately ordered consecration and cleansing to restore God’s people and nation to honorable worship, obedience, and joy. He led by wholehearted example, demonstrating genuine love and encouragement for his people, attracting many to return to the Lord. (2 Chronicles 29:20-24,27-31,35-36; 30:1,6-9,12,17-20,22; Isaiah 33:6)

The Lord has plans for each of His people, for hope and a future of making a difference and influencing others. As His gospel takes hold in us, it compels us to seize His call in our time and place. It is prudent to understand His broad workings in the age and culture, and to seek His will for our lives in that context. We were not made to exist as islands nor to pursue personal dreams at the omission of God’s wide purposes, but to know Him, bear His image, and do His prepared work. (Genesis 1:26-27; Jeremiah 29:11; Acts 17:26-27; Romans 14:7-9; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:23-24; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

How important is it to us to take up His mantle? Is our priority to hear and heed His high summons, or to tend our days with narrow, self-serving ambition? If we have sought His direction, how prompt and thorough are we in carrying out His instructions, even if they are hard? Do we diligently seen through what He plants in our heart, or placate good intentions? What specific steps will we take today to implement God’s prescribed consecration and obey His call?

Lord, give me discernment and zeal to know and fulfill Your call, for the building of Your kingdom and magnification of Your glory.

“‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned… By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you…  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:1-6,8-14,16

God the Vinedresser is in the business of taking away, and every branch will experience His righteous cutting in some way. Bear no fruit, and be removed from the Vine Jesus forever; bear fruit, and succumb to His pruning. He works for healthy, flourishing branches who bear abundant fruit in His kingdom and world, and graciously removes everything that hinders holy growth.

In the realm of spiritual agriculture, it’s vital to be assured we are attached to the Vine. Have we by faith been joined to Christ Jesus, our only hope of salvation? Do we acknowledge and rely on Him as the Source of redemption and eternal life?

If we are indeed by grace a branch of His vine, what identifies us as His stock? How well, how consistently, are we abiding, and with what results? Fruit is evidenced by growth of godly character, effectiveness of ministry, and joy within and expressed. Obedience to God’s commands always brings blessing personally and communally as we interact with others and serve God’s people.

Where specifically do we need His careful tending? Have we grown crusty with thorns, hard hearts toward the ones He’s called us to love? Where has stubbornness or selfishness inhibited the free flow of His Spirit through our veins? What specifically will we ask the Lord to remove from mind or practice, or willingly allow His tender, keen care to cut away, that will promote growth and flourishing? How willing are we to lay down our plans, preferences, the need to be right and have the final say for the sake of another?

My Vinedresser, have Your way with me so my countenance and actions prove me a faithful, joy-filled disciple.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice…

“I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly…

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:1-4,7-10,28-29

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Jesus’s listeners were well familiar with the imagery of sheep, doors (gates), and shepherds. He attaches their concepts of ownership, leadership, and tending to His spiritual role in their lives. He was the only One by whom they would find sustenance, security, and fulfillment. Any other way or guide would lead them astray to life bereft of hope. His invitation came by way of clear comparisons of both means and ends, leaving them to decide whom they would follow.

Every day we have this same choice. We may wander near the door to the good shepherd’s sheepfold, curious but reluctant, drawn by love but repelled by innate rebellion. Steps of faith are required to admit the folly of following another to destruction. Would we leave our pride and willful resistance to enter the Gate that is our Savior?

For those in Christ, we too have choices. Arising from sleep, we decide how to enter the day. Will we turn first thoughts to Him, spend time seeking the Lord through His word and prayer, saturating ourselves with truth, God’s perspective on work and relationships and character? Or will we burst out of the gate, driving our own set direction and pace, in our strength? Who leads our agenda and route?

Challenges and conundrums require alertness to pitfalls, wisdom, proper information and dress. If we skirt the Lord’s perspective, heed foreign voices, detour from obedience, refuse holy methods, or stubbornly insist on our own path, we will likely suffer loss.

Surrounded by the world’s death and destruction, why would we evade the Lord’s way to abundant life? Considering the door that is Jesus, and deliberately entering through Him every morning, for each appointment and interaction and effort, will yield rich pasture. Would I set aside sneaky detours, tend to rusty hinges, and realign with Him?

Lord, help me enter each day through the door that is You, to further Your will and magnify Your glory.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:1-2

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4

“‘Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end…’ He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Revelation 22:12-13,20-21

In the beginning, God was. He was active at the creation of all things, and upholds them still. He was and is present at every turning of season and awakening of day, each fresh page of the calendar. This One who has been from everlasting past will always be, eternally existent, infinitely constant, strong, good, and wise. From start of the scriptures to close, God’s story is told and His majestic eternity revealed, HIs eternity and eternal word bearing on our time and place in history.

At a time, date, and season of new beginnings, it is grounding to know that the almighty, heavenly Lord is first and last. He was before all time and anything that existed. He is the first cause of all that occurs, man’s raison d’etre, and our end. And He upholds the universe, in all its wrangling and uncertainties, by His power. Though we may fear uncertainties and insecurities ahead, He unfolds days and futures according to His sovereign will. Though we may be rocked by circumstances and unforeseen events, He is never surprised or out of control. Our charge at the new year is to trust Him! (Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3)

Facing a clean schedule and anticipating all God has in store in a new year, we can be inspired to roar ahead with exciting plans and verve. Pausing to contemplate the eternal God who is our dwelling place and has set past and future will refine our viewpoint for the months and days ahead. How can we align our enthusiasm and determination with His good will? What habits will we set in place to remind us of His eternal plans, and keep us honing an eternal perspective? (Romans 12:1-2)

In light of the reality that God is our cause and end, that He is here and coming soon, what are our priorities for hours and days? What is our chief desire this new year? Who or what fuels our passions and sets our direction and determination? What doubts can we entrust to His wisdom, what hopes to His good plans, what cares to His everlasting arms? (Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Peter 5:7)

Eternal Lord, please set the schedule of my days and plans for the future to cause me to know You better, trust You more, and glorify You as You deserve.

“Praise is due to you, O God…
O you who hear prayer,
    to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
    you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
    to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
    the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
    O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
    being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;
    you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
    you provide their grain,
    for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
    settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
    and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
    your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
    the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
    the valleys deck themselves with grain,
    they shout and sing together for joy.” Psalm 65

Yes, praise is due the God who blesses His people. He appoints seasons and the turning of years to give man time to reflect, to remember, to sing, to rejoice. The greatest gift being forgiveness of sins, souls are liberated to take delight in the wide mercies and majestic workings of God. His hand weaves color and freedom and goodness into moments and hours, enriching life as it goes along, heightening awareness of His continual presence, supply, and graces.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Psalm 103:1-5,8

Looking back over this year, how has the Lord crowned my year with His bounty? In what situations have I experienced the Spirit’s inspiration, or press of conviction with accompanying release upon repentance? Where can I trace my Savior’s guiding hand, or imparted wisdom? Where have I seen Him active in hard circumstances, providing hope, stilling restlessness, soothing hurt, filling needs? In what places of aloneness, confusion, doubt, or longing has the Lord visited me with His abundance and fresh water? (2 Samuel 12:13; Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 1:9)

For what new things will I bless the Lord today? What prayers am I certain He has heard? What new understanding have I gleaned from His word, or life experience? How have I grown in the fruit of the Spirit? What soul satisfaction and transformation of character has communion with Him through my hours brought? Praise is due Him! (Isaiah 43:19; Galatians 5:22-23)

Acknowledging this year’s bounty anticipates the next. God’s love continues for all generations.

Worthy Lord, establish in my days a rhythm of awareness, gratitude, and praise.

“The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

“If anyone is to be taken captive,
    to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
    with the sword must he be slain.

“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed…

“Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” Revelation 13:5-12; 14:1-3

John’s vision of heaven includes alternating glimpses into unleashed cruelty and dreadful judgment of the wicked with those of security and joyful hope among those saved as Christ’s own. Against the cacophonous horrors and haughty blaspheming of the beasts and their followers came a new song from the undefiled. Such is the contrast of those who know God and those who reject His mercy. In every onslaught of opposition, saints of God can sing with endurance and faith.

In a season of looking back, weighing disappointments, reprioritizing efforts, looking forward, the Lord beckons our souls to remember Him. His constant activity in His children’s lives, His ongoing care and sanctification, His sustaining power, are not to be neglected or forgotten. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with difficulties or regret or the relentless drag on our joy by harsh circumstances. We can justify, even subconsciously, fearful anxiety or a cranky attitude and forget to sing. But the soul that is saved can always find a new song.

What beasts have we allowed to rule our mindset? Where are we given to worry, self-loathing, or stress, all tools of the enemy to distract us from the Lord? How will I turn blasphemies against God and attacks on His children to positive, confident, resounding praise? Who needs the hope of music? Into what ugliness will I sing today? (2 Chronicles 20:20-22)

Father, awaken my heart to praise You with a new song each morning, to Your glory.

“The eternal God is your dwelling place,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

“You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.”

“He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.”

“You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.” Psalm 3:3; 91:4-6; 139:5

Nestled in a cozy chair, surrounded by windows and a monochromatic scape, trees donned in only white frost, roofs blanketed with snow down, is a cocoon of wonder. The stream still trickles, though iced all around, its flow the only unfrozen movement or sound this frigid morning. Sheltered. Enveloped. Held. There is a dwelling place that covers and upholds with everlasting arms where the Lord God calls His own.

When all around is harsh, frigid, biting, the human heart craves cozy, that deep sense of serenity and safety in the midst of strife. We are drawn to, yet resist, the painful sting of cold, the edges of comfort. God crafted us with the ability to press against limits and to detect danger, and reflexes that protect or seek shelter. He orders many an experience to test our mettle, to push us to perform and trust in stretching ways, to learn the disciplines of structure and grit. He always provides a refuge. He presents opportunities to slip, to teach us to resist with determination, and always provides a way out that is a way in to His irrepressible care. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Where in the world’s winter do we find ourselves today? Have we wandered too far into a bitter cold heart, numb toward those who’ve hurt us or to the needs of those around us? Are there places we’ve strayed with a frozen conscience and need to find the way home? We can return to His arms of mercy and cleansing forgiveness. He washes us white as snow and can reignite a frost-bitten heart. Perhaps life is presently an onslaught of pressure, and we crave relief and rest. It may be we cannot escape a blanket of sorrow or disappointment, and our souls cry for refuge and comfort. The Lord hears and stands ready to enfold us in His strong arms and keeping. (Isaiah 1:18; Jeremiah 29:13-14; Matthew 11:28-30)

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine, 
leaning on the everlasting arms; 
what a blessedness, what a peace is mine, 
leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, 
leaning on the everlasting arms; 
O how bright the path grows from day to day, 
leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear, 
leaning on the everlasting arms? 
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, 
leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, 
safe and secure from all alarms; 
leaning, leaning, 
leaning on the everlasting arms.” ~Elisha Hoffman (1887)

Father, my Hiding Place, so warm my soul with peace and boldness that I can draw others to take refuge in Your love and care.

“The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” Exodus 13:21-22

“Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David…  The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim… and all the Levitical singers,.. arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with… trumpeters;  and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

‘For he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever,’

“the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,  so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God…

“I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” 2 Chronicles 5:2,7,12-14; 6:2

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Hebrews 12:1-3

Clouds were a welcome sight in the ancient near east, offering protection and needed shade, promising rain. God inhabited clouds with His shekinah presence to guide and bless His people. Their opaque nature piqued faith to trust what they represented, and to find a home in their midst. (1 Kings 18:41-44)

Often we are uneasy about clouds: threatening forecasts, confused misunderstandings, brooding emotions, unclear ways forward. In the flesh we want clarity, answers, no interruptions or messy tempers. We want to know what’s ahead with certainty. Yet the Lord often appears in clouds of uncertainty, speaks in the uncomfortable and unknown, awakening deeper dependence when we cannot see but must follow. Clouds are His vehicle for growth.

Rather than trying to escape clouds of difficulty or unsureness, what do we learn about ourselves in them that needs refinement or redirection? Do they cause increased stress, or confidence in God? What have we learned about Him and the certainty of His word?

What reminder of God’s glorious presence brings comfort and peace today? What steadfast witness of others encourages us in a present challenge in family or at work? How can we welcome lessons from looming clouds in our circumstances today?

Father, teach me from cloud experiences to believe and trust You as glorious Lord.