THE CLOUD OF GOD'S PRESENCE

This morning during my Quiet Time I sat looking out of my window at the exquisite clouds rolling through the sky.  With the trees standing tall in their winter bareness, the sky is big and so were the clouds.  It was beautiful.  As I watched them I was reminded of a poem I wrote about clouds back in the 60s.  They spoke to me about wandering and freedom.

CLOUDS

White puffs of smokeless smoke, airless air, cottonless cotton,

Floating freely and uninhibitedly through the sky

Wandering aimlessly, coming from everywhere, yet going nowhere

Changing their patternless shapes with no hesitation

Not one taking the form of another.

Scattered haphazardly and helter-skelterly across the

Brilliant blue background of the sky

The white puffs attract the attention of dreamers

And romantics everywhere

Their nomadism and freedom is admired and desired by all.

I thought about the Exodus story and how God Presence was always with the folks walking through the desert in the form of a cloud by day; how when Moses used to go to the Tent of Meeting, the cloud of God’s Presence would descend upon the tent and Moses would speak to God face to face. On the Mount of Transfiguration God came in a cloud and said, “This is my Son.  Listen to him”.  Jesus’ disciples watched him ascend to heaven in a cloud; and Jesus will return to gather us together in a cloud at his Second Coming.

The clouds that surround me day by day are really God’s Presence, which is everywhere.  It made me appreciate clouds all the more.  I was reminded of times when my mom and I would lie on the ground and look up at the clouds and see all kinds of shapes and forms in them.  She was a cloud watcher as well.  Going through her photo albums there were pictures and pictures of just clouds.  It’s nice to know she is up there within touching distance with them now.  It’s nice to know that she and I both are continually immersed in Clouds of God’s Presence, both on this side of heaven and the other side as well.