Daydreaming Believer by Andrea Marino

Cloud watching is something I enjoy doing. My second-grade teacher once announced before the entire class that I was a ‘bump on a log’ because my gaze was out the window, my mind ‘caught up’ in fascination with the expanse of cottony fluff way up in the sky. To my embarrassment and distress, it shook me back to reality in that I should have been paying attention to the teacher instead of the whimsical shapes, delighting me so. But it isn’t dumb to be in wonder of what lay beyond what we see. “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1)

After Jesus’ resurrection, He presented Himself alive to the apostles for 40 days and instructed them to wait for The Spirit of power to come upon them so they could be His witnesses. A cloud then took Him out of their sight. As the apostles gazed into the heavens, two men in white clothes suddenly appeared and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Clouds are significant in Scripture. God led the Israelites through the desert wilderness in a pillar of cloud. (Exodus 13:21) This shekinah glory cloud was a miraculous sign that God was with them. In fact, God told Moses, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)

Do we fully grasp God with us? When I flit about with all the concerns of my day - to the neglect of time spent at the feet of Jesus - I miss the significance of that truth. I also miss out on a time of rest I desperately need from my despair of a world in chaos, my very nation literally going up in smoke and heading for disaster. Such a reality should cause us all to pause; to be still and ponder God. “The billowing clouds are the dust beneath His feet.” (Nahum 1:3)

Significant obstacles faced the Israelites in their exodus from the bondage of living in Egypt under Pharaoh. So, will we struggle on the path of truth and freedom in Christ? Our living, moving, and being can easily become based on what is happening before our eyes, causing a ‘default’ into despair. In God’s presence is fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

I remember lying on the grass as a child, feeling sad and lonely. Before long, a gray mist began rolling in and soon blanketed the sky. The world is a mysterious place. “Clouds and thick darkness surround God.” (Psalm 97:2) There is so much more to life than we know. All of the creation has much to speak to us about Him. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. (James 4:8)

I watched a Christmas movie this past August. While I won’t give the plot away of ‘The Perfect Gift’, I want to say I found such comfort in the reminder that Jesus really is near, amid everything— even when times are filled with fear and angst. Christmas is a season of living hope. Emmanuel- God with us! (Mathew 1:22,23) We can celebrate Christmas all year long!

Every now and then, after a rainstorm, I am blessed to catch a break in the clouds overhead, a prism of light shining through. It is an awesome sight to behold, conveying a very real confirmation. “Then I saw heaven opened; and there was a white horse. Its rider called Faithful and True. Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him.” (Revelation 1:7, 19:11)

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