Sunsetting Skies

With only one more day in April, it’s almost time to say good-bye to the cloudy segment of our Days of Creation series.

I’ve been lax lately, and didn’t write nearly as often as I did in January and February–seasons change, my friends, and this season is SPRING! Time to be outdoors playing in the dirt, identifying baby sprouts, attacking exterior house projects . . . all of which are ever so important for my mental health. So my writing is in a lull, but never fear. The heat of summer will strike soon enough, and I’ll be back indoors with more time to write!

Skies in Scripture

I was thinking this morning about how clouds are often tied to the presence of God throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Here are a few examples:

“Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the LORD settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud“ (Exodus 24:15-16 NLT).

“Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, ‘Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations'” (Exodus 34:5-7).

Transfiguration of Jesus: “Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him'” (Mark 9:7).

Jesus before the Council: “But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ Jesus said, ‘I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven'” (Mark 14:61-62).

Ascension of Jesus: “After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him” (Acts 1:9).

“Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One'” (Revelation 1:7-8).

What’s It All Mean??

I’m not saying that it’s time to worship the clouds by any means! But with so many references to clouds tied to God’s presence throughout the Bible, perhaps we can put the clouds in our days to good use whether they water the ground or not.

Next time you see clouds in the sky, may your spirit remind you that you are in the presence of God. There is nowhere you can go where he is not. He is always with you and will never leave you!

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Tomorrow we’ll round out our Day 2 segment with a recap of thoughts I shared over the past two months. Then it’s on to Day 3 in May and June!