Cloudy Day

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Posted by Annette Burrell, March 25, 2024

Do you ever feel gloomy when you wake up to a cloudy day?  Do your thoughts immediately go toward feeling down or depressed?

Recently, I was at the beach with a girlfriend. The first two days brought beautiful, close to perfect, weather. We woke up to cloudy and misty weather on the third day. My friend said, “Woe, how’d that happen? Just two seconds ago it was clear.”

Clouds are like that. Sometimes they just pop up. At other times, like during a drought, we pray for the clouds that bring the rain.

The Hebrew word for cloud is: darkness, thickness, density. It’s no wonder we feel gloomy when “the clouds roll in.”

Most often in the Old Testament, we see a cloud as a covering for God, otherwise the people would die in His presence. Other times, clouds are used as God’s provision for the people.

Gavin Pretoria-Penney, the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, says that a version of the word cloud is mentioned 162 times in the Bible. The word “cloud” is mentioned 107 times in 94 verses; “clouds” 49 times in 49 verses; and “cloudy” 6 times in 6 verses. 

“The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” 1 Kings 18:44

There is drought and famine in the land, and the people worship and sacrifice to other gods. Through Elijah, God makes himself known on Mount Carmel and the people turn back to Yahweh. Shortly after that God sends rain, starting with a cloud as small as a man’s hand. Here we see God revealing who He is, Jehovah Jireh, The Lord our provider.

Time and time again, as the people turn away from Him, He sends a messenger, a prophet and ultimately, the Messiah to rescue them from their sin of rebellion against him.

This has happened in my own life and maybe you’ll admit it has happened in your life as well. Perhaps you are in a dry season of being away from God. I was away from God and church for 7 years. Maybe, for you, most days are filled with gloom. Jesus nudged me and brought me out of the pit I was in. He never stopped pursuing me. He is pursuing you too.

“As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.” Ezekiel 34:12

This is the prophet Ezekiel’s declaration of God’s ongoing pursuit, love and power of His chosen people. Even in our darkest hour, we can be assured that He is seeking us.

This is where our hope comes from. It comes from God.

He is our only hope.

He loves us unconditionally and so much so that he sent his Son to die for us—to redeem us.

God makes promises and establishes covenants throughout the Old Testament and He never breaks them.

Genesis 9:1-17 is the account of God’s promise and covenant he made with Noah just after the Flood. He promised he would not destroy the earth and mankind with a flood ever again. 

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 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 9:13-15

 “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” Ezekiel 1:28

Today, my last day at the beach, the weather is clear, the temperature warm and the ocean view is perfect. How can God’s creation be anything but perfect? Even with the clouds and the storms of the last few days I see God everywhere. The clouds are a reminder to me that God is always near me. 

One of my favorite songs that depicts God’s promises is by Elevation Worship, There Is a Cloud. For me the lyrics are saying, “He pours out blessings. We need to be willing to receive it.”

There Is a Cloud

Hear the Word, roaring as thunder

With a new, future to tell

For the dry, season is over

There is a cloud, beginning to swell

To the skies, heavy with blessing

Lift up your eyes, offer your heart 

Jesus Christ, opened the Heavens

Now we receive, the Spirit of God

We receive your rain 

We receive your rain 

And with great, anticipation 

We await, the Promise to come

Everything, that You have spoken

Will come to pass, let it be done

Father God, we come to as The Creator. We thank you for being our provider. We thank you for pursuing us. We receive your rain. We receive your blessing. We await your Promise to come again. Let it be done.

There Is A Cloud | Official Lyric Video | Elevation Worship

Annette Burrell is an author, speaker, and singer/songwriter. Through Annette’s years of being a public servant, and her devotion to studying the Bible, God has equipped her to lead women into His presence, and share with them how they can grow in Christ. Her passion is learning, sharing about the Heavenly realms, and God’s plan of protection for us as believers.

The Forgetfulness of God

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Posted by Erin Roberson, March 19, 2024

Marilu Henner is an actress who is best known for her role as Elaine O’Connor Nardo in the hit sitcom Taxi. Something really interesting about Marilu Henner is that she has a highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). She can remember almost every detail of every day in her life since she was 11 years old!  

Only about 100 people in the world have HSAM. It’s so fascinating that she was featured in an episode of 60 Minutes. Marilu says that if someone in her family wants to know when something happened, it’s always, “Ask Marilu.” She can tell you the day of the week for any date and everything that happened in her life on any given day, including what she ate!  

One time, someone was telling Marilu about their wedding on June 15, 1998, and Marilu replied, “Why did you get married on a Monday? That is so unusual.” She was correct. The wedding was held on a Monday!  

She has written a book titled Total Memory Makeover. And she is using her rare ability for good, working with the Alzheimer’s Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s to study brain health.

Most of us are not like Marilu. We can’t remember where we put our car keys or the date of our last physical. I don’t know anyone with HSAM, but I do know that God is omniscient. He knows everything, and He forgets nothing.

God knows everything about me. He knows everything that has happened in my past, and He even knows everything that is going to happen. In fact, He’s already there in my future! It blows my mind to think about it!

Although God remembers everything, the Bible tells us that God forgives and forgets our sins. For example, God says He “keeps no record of sins” in Jeremiah 31:34.  Likewise, in Isaiah, God says, ‘I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (43:25).

But how can that be, since God knows everything and forgets nothing?

It appears that God chooses not to remember our mistakes. He frees us from the slavery of sin and invites us, like Paul, to “forget what is behind and press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us]” (Philippians 3:13).

My favorite verse about this topic says that God removes our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Think about traveling around the globe. When do you stop going east and start going west? It’s impossible to know! When we ask God to forgive us, our sins are completely forgiven.  

Jesus was the one-time sacrifice that completely removes our sin. He can heal any wound and forgive any mistake. We can accept this grace and move forward, knowing that God wants to transform us and will not hold our mistakes against us. In fact, He can redeem our mess ups and turn them into masterpieces!

If God can choose to forget our mistakes, does that mean God can cause us to forget the hurts others have inflicted upon us? To forgive someone, we must often put painful memories out of our minds. We may not be able to completely forget the offense, but we can choose to overlook it. We can choose not to dwell on it. We can forgive and move on.

As followers of Jesus, we are to forgive even if the other person has not taken a step toward reconciliation…and even if they won’t admit to doing anything wrong! 

Jesus set the perfect example for us. Although the disciples deserted Him and even claimed they did not know Him, He died on a cross for them (and for you and me). After he was raised from the dead, Jesus forgave and restored Peter, the one who had denied him three times. Not only did Jesus forgive Peter, he used him to preach the first gospel message!

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to forgive even the most awful hurts and to be at peace, trusting God to show us the steps forward. 

Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.

Keep Moving Forward

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Posted by Martha Wilson, March 13, 2024

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18

Once again, most Americans set their clocks forward by one hour this past weekend. Sure, we lost a bit of sleep but gained another hour of sunlight as we moved into the spring and summer months. On the front end, none of us like to give up an hour of sleep, but we welcome the lengthy days of sunshine once our bodies adjust to the change.

Pondering this time change, I flipped forward in my daily Bible reading to the book of Ecclesiastes, where King Solomon gave us some wise instructions about time changes.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,  

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,  

a time to love and a time to hate,  a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I quickly agree there is a time for everything, yet we don’t always understand or accept the season. Therefore, we ask things like, “What time is it?” “Why is this happening?” “Why do I have to get up? I just want to sleep.”

One secret to living life fully alive is to be fully present in the season God has us.

To cling to one season because it is beautiful, desirable, and comfortable is to miss what is in front of us. Sometimes, we need to spring forward to the next season of life. Now, I am not suggesting that we fast forward past the delightful and fulfilling nor the painful or unwelcome seasons, but instead, I am encouraging you to keep moving forward. God is waiting for you in the next season.

We can settle into a season in such a way that we lose the awareness of God’s nudge to move forward. We are determined to hold on to the extra hour of sleep, instead of embracing the adventure of a new day.

Remembering that others are not necessarily in the same season as I can be very helpful. How can they be dancing while I am mourning? Why are they laughing while I am crying? Why are they planting while I am digging up? We are all at different places in life and need to be gracious with one another.

Even though our mobile phones change automatically, I have a few clocks that must be manually set. Laziness leads me to ignore it for a few days, but it costs me more than a few minutes because I am distracted by constantly making mental adjustments to the time throughout the day. I remember the year we were clueless about how to change the clock in our new car. We looked at the clock for an entire season and said, “It says 10:00, but it is actually 11:00.”

I think I do the same thing when I refuse to move forward into the season God has placed me. We all know far too well that circumstances of life can catapult us into new seasons that we can’t seem to catch up. But there is something about agreeing with God and that it is time for a reset and spring forward.

Today, I am cheering you on. Always keep moving forward into all that God has for you. It’s ok that it takes some time to heal and to adjust but go ahead and step into it. God will catch you up as you surrender to His best plan.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Martha Wilson is a writer, speaker, blogger and co-host of A Burst of Hope weekly podcast. She is the founder and director of Touching Hearts Ministries for women. She has led women to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus for most of her adult life. She is bold, tender, and transparent as she teaches women to embrace powerful Biblical truths. Martha and her husband, Ed, live in Fayetteville, Georgia, and enjoy their blended family of five children, eight grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. You can connect with Martha at: Facebook and Instagram @TouchingHeartsMinistries or listen to the A Burst of Hope Podcast.