Clouds in the Sky

The pre-dawn trip to the barn is one of my favorite parts of the day. The profusion of stars, usually sufficient to light my path to the barn and back, reminds me of the One who set each star in place. Imagine that! Every star was set in its place by God Himself. That just boggles my mind! Equally amazing is the fact that, though I am just a speck in the incredibly vast universe, the Creator and Sustainer of it all knows me by name. Isn't that a profound thought?

I am known by name both in the courts of heaven and by Almighty God.

I hope I never get over the wonder of that amazing truth. 

This morning, however, the sky was so densely overcast that not one star was visible, nor was the moon. The density of the clouds completely obscured my view of those amazing stars, but, no matter how dense, the clouds did not change the fact that the stars were still there. Their existence is not dependent upon my ability to see them. Did you get that? The existence of the handiwork of God is not dependent upon my ability to see it, no matter what the clouds in the sky or in our lives seem to indicate.

You, like me, have probably had some dark times where your faith wavered because your sight was obscured by those pesky clouds. Our inability to recognize God at work didn't change God's handiwork, nor His ongoing involvement in our lives, did it? Of course not! Even when the clouds remain for an intolerable period of time, even when it seems the haze will never clear, the stars are still in place and shining bright. God is still on His throne. He is still at work in our lives. That's good news, but hard to remember in the midst of difficult times. 

The sky was overcast all day today, but as I walked back from the barn tonight, in the distant horizon, I saw a pink glow and remembered something my mama much have said thousands of times when I was growing up. "Red at night, sailor's delight." I laughed out loud at the memory. That red tint to the horizon was a reminder that the clouds do not last forever. Good times do come again. God is still in control. If you are in the midst of one of those dark and difficult times, take heart. The clouds don't last forever. God is still on His throne and His stars still shine. 

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