Are You Lost In The Clouds?

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:”

Exodus 13:21

Have you ever flown in an airplane when it goes into the clouds? I have many times. Our first thought is probably, “how in the world does the pilot know where he is going?” All you can see is nothingness. You can’t see what is on the other side of those clouds. You are kind of temporarily blinded as far as seeing outside the airplane. The first time this happened to me I kind of got a little nervous. (Not to mention that it usually gets a little bumpy.) Knowing that the pilot knew what he was doing and where he was going was calming. The pilot fully trusts in his instruments and they guide him through the clouds. I didn’t need to be afraid or concerned. I fully placed my trust in the pilot.

“And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.”

Exodus 14:19-20

Did you know that the clouds can be a good thing? The children of Israel found this out. I never really understood the whole verse before. We always read the first part of this verse about how God guided the Israelites with a pillar of cloud. I never really gave much thought to the end of that verse where it says that God not only guided them by the cloud, but that that same cloud God also placed behind them and it became a cloud of darkness to protect them from the Egyptians by night. Wow! How great is our God?

“ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”

Psalm 139:5

Do you feel like you are lost in the clouds sometimes? I know we all do. But how encouraging and comforting to know that we don’t have to see, we don’t have to know what is ahead because God is there in the midst of the clouds guiding and protecting us. Praise the Lord! We just need to trust Him and rest in Him knowing that He is in control and He will take care of us. Reminds me of the song, “God Will Take Care of You.” Be not dismayed whate’er betide; God will take care of you. Beneath His wings of love abide; God will take care of you. God will take care of you, through ev'ry day, o’er all the way. He will take care of you; God will take care of you.” And I love the last verse: No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you. Lean, weary one, upon His breast; God will take care of you. What great words for us to cling to.

“And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;

 I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

 I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.

 These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

Isaiah 42:16

We can trust God when our way is cloudy. When we can’t see or know what lies ahead. We will have no fear because we know that a faithful God is in control and knows exactly what lies ahead. He knows how to get through the clouds of the unknown and arrive safely on the other side.

^“For we walk by faith, not by sight:”

II Corinthians 5:7

We may not know where we are headed and the path may seem to be hidden, but God knows. Did you know that our faith is strongest when our sight is the weakest? It’s then that we have to fully lean on the Lord, to trust Him even when we don’t see a way out of the clouds. Just like with the children of Israel, God not only guided them forward, but He also protected them from behind. So, the next time you are in the clouds of trials, confusion, or uncertainty, remember that God is in the midst of the clouds. It is He and only He that can guide you out to safety. Will you place your trust in Him?

 ^“ And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”

Isaiah 58:11