July 7, 2008
I recently spent a week with my husband, parents, and brother in Daytona Beach where our days consisted of essentially three things – doing nothing, eating, and early morning “power walks” on the beach (to minimize the effects of the eating). It was absolutely wonderful!
One of the things I love to do each morning at the beach is sit on the condo balcony with a cup of coffee and watch the sunrise. Usually, the skies are clear and the rising sun creates the most amazing masterpiece as it reflects on the ocean water. Sadly, things were different this year. Every morning that I woke up early to see the sunrise, the sky was full of clouds that blocked the sun. The sun was there of course, but the “wow factor” that I had looked forward to day after day was greatly diminished by the looming clouds. On a couple of mornings, the light peaked through holes in the clouds, creating beams of light that reflected onto the water. Not what I came for, but very pretty, so all was not lost.
As I sat on the porch the last day of vacation, watching yet another not-so-spectacular sunrise, I thought about how many times my spiritual life has been just like those mornings on the condo balcony. God’s faithfulness to reveal Himself each day is as sure as the sunrise. He is an ever-present God who has indwelt me with His Spirit, so each and every time I kneel before Him in private prayer, meditate on His Word, or join with fellow believers in corporate worship, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is going to “show up.” I expect that . . . anticipate it . . . look forward to it. But sometimes there are clouds that block the view – the clouds of difficult circumstances, sadness, anxiety, disappointment, physical pain, stress, fatigue, and the list goes on. Some of these clouds are self-induced. Most are completely out of my control. Whatever the cause, these clouds can loom for a long time and diminish the “wow factor” that I desire to experience when I meet with the Lord. God still “shows up,” it’s just hard to see Him clearly through the looming challenges I'm facing.
What hit me as I thought about the lousy sunsets I had seen is this simple truth: clouds eventually clear. They aren’t permanent! In fact, had we been able to stay another week at the beach, there is a very good chance I would have woken up to clear skies and gotten to see a gorgeous Daytona Beach sunrise at some point. I would, however, have to keep on getting up early. Consistency and perseverance would be crucial.
Are you in a “cloudy” season in your walk with the Lord? Did you set aside time to meet with Him recently, only to be disappointed once again that you didn’t “see” anything spectacular? My encouragement to you is this: Keep on getting up, keep on setting aside that time, keep on kneeling before Him in prayer, and keep on meditating on His Word. Make consistency and perseverance your two best friends. You may not see Him very clearly right now, but He’s there . . . He’s speaking . . . He’s working . . . He’s protecting . . . He’s refining. Never forget that the clouds aren’t permanent. One of these days, they will lift and you will get to have more of those “wow moments” with Jesus that you have been craving for so long. Until then, enjoy those little rays that peak through the clouds. They may not be the masterpiece you anticipated, but they sure are pretty.