I’ve Looked At Clouds From Both Sides Now

Helen Francis

I've always had an eye for the clouds. I used to amuse myself during lessons at school by imagining their shapes as landscapes or animals, etc . I still get an enormous thrill of delight soaring upwards through them on take off and travelling over them on plane journeys, and I've spent years trying to capture their elusive beauty in paintings.

The bible has a lot of references to clouds (over 125 according to Google). They are often used as a symbol of the Glory and Presence of God.

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
(Genesis 9:14-15)

This the first mention. It's easy to remember the rainbow but forget the clouds, yet without them there would be no rainbow. They are instrumental in this symbol of hope.

Clouds are the visible witness of Gods presence & protection when they next appear in Exodus. First as the pillar of cloud that leads the escaping Israel to safety and stands between them and their enemies, as a shield and hiding place. And then as the Glory of the nearness of God as he descends on mount Sinai and rests there for six days, calling Moses to enter the cloud on the seventh (a repeat of the pattern of creating a sabbath rest in Him in Genesis).

In the book of Job, Elihu asks: "Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?" (Job 37:16)

One of the things I did not know until quite late in life is that we only have the same amount of water on earth now as we have ever had. It goes up to be recycled in the clouds and rained down again. Gods provision for us in perpetuity, there in its fullness from the beginning.

In the New testament we see God's presence and Glory symbolised by a shining cloud in the Transfiguration when he endorses Jesus' divinity and authority by saying "This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased, hear him!" (Matthew 17:5)

We can read of how Jesus was "lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight" in the Ascension and then two angels tell the watching disciples: "this Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

But what most fills my mind when I look at clouds is that promise in Revelation: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.” (Revelation1:7)

Whatever clouds may fill your horizon this week I hope they remind you of the covenant of hope, God's presence, protection and provision, and his promise for Jesus’ return in power and glory.