Seeing in the Cloud

I used to dislike clouds.

They seemed oppressive. It was as if they were cutting me off from some other world.

Then I learned the significance of clouds. How God used a cloud to guide His people, the Israelites, to the promise land. God resided in the cloud.

How often do I complain and groan about a cloud, thinking that the Lord has abandoned me? 

"They (the Israelites) said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?... For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:11-12

When in all truth, it was always when I felt farthest from God that He was the closest. Always encompassing me in His cloud. My eyes failed to see Him, which meant He wasn't there...right? But He was there all the time. I thought I was failing, that the cloud was a sign that God's forgotten me. But no, no...it was the other way around.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:13-14

You only have to be silent. Stop complaining, just watch Me work.

In the midst of the cloud, God ruled. In the midst of the cloud, God was present. In the very center of the fog and daze, God was directing.

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way..." Exodus 13:22

So if you're in a cloud, I'd encourage you to look at it as not a reason to be depressed, discouraged, or languished, but a reason to rejoice--because in your hardest time, God is everywhere surrounding you. You just have to open your eyes to see the fog. The God-present in the veiled future.