Surrounded by Clouds
by Annalene Holtzhausen
In one of Brian Doerksen’s songs, Your Faithfulness, he sings the following:
‘I don’t know if these clouds mean rain.
If they do, will they pour down blessing or pain?
I don’t know what the future holds. Still I know I can trust Your faithfulness ’.
When I’m driving, and I come to a patch of thick fog, I’m forced to slow down to a snail’s pace in order to avoid an accident, because I can’t see ahead. My vision is blurred, and I can’t see where the road is leading me. But, as soon as the fog disappears, relief floods over me. Straightaway I can relax, sit back a bit, and pick up speed again!
Think of what it’s like to be surrounded by clouds. You can’t see what’s around you. You feel unsure about where you are and wonder if you’re safe (especially if you’re climbing a mountain). You can’t see the danger points.
It’s like the difficult, sad and troublesome seasons in our lives when we can’t see ahead. We only see what’s happening around us and get caught up with that. In our minds we see no solution to the situation, now or in the future! We lose our vision, and then our hope and ability to trust.
Another problem is that we don’t see God in our situation. We think He’s waiting for us to work through the difficulty on our own and then we’ll find Him again once we’re through it. But the truth is that He comes to us while we’re in the clouds! He’s there and He wants to teach us to walk by faith. When there are no clouds in our lives we don’t need faith.
In ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ Oswald Chambers words it like this: ‘His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child – a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows’.
In Mark 9 Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him up a high mountain. There He was transfigured before their eyes and Elijah and Moses appeared with Him. They were astounded at what they were witnessing. In verse 7 and 8 we read: ‘And a cloud threw a shadow upon them, and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved One. Be constantly listening to and obeying Him!” And looking around, they suddenly no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus only’.
Maybe we need to slow down a bit when facing difficult times in our lives. Perhaps we need to be willing to meet Jesus in our situation and allow Him to take the lead and provide the solution. He’s there, waiting for you to see Him and trust Him to show you the way – you don’t have to find it on your own.
Prayer: Jesus, my Lord, thank You that You are in my clouds, in my time of difficulty, and confusion. Please show me the way forward. I can’t do this on my own. Forgive me for trying to solve things on my own and in my own way. I choose to trust You even though I can’t see ahead. Thank You for being so gentle in the way You draw me closer to You. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
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