A Great Cloud

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  Hebrews 12:1-3 NASB

Each day begins with noise. The sound of an alarm, quickly overshadowed by the thought of the day’s to do list -  Not long after, our phone starts buzzing: emails, texts, notifications from social media apps. Even when the noise is not audible, we hear it in our thoughts—the push and pull of tasks, decisions, responsibilities. 

Holy Spirit teaches us wisdom and discernment as He invites us to refuse the voice of this world, to turn down the internal volume in our minds, and to hear the Voice of the Lord, the Good Shepherd. It’s not that we abandon our jobs or ignore our responsibilities. It’s that we learn to walk through the day with Jesus leading us.

In fact let Jesus Christ be your shepherd. Imagine Him leading you to each part of your day. Imagine Him walking with us through dark valleys. Imagine Him preparing a feast for His people even in the darkest moments. 

What is heavy on your mind, the burden of financial obligations? Or a friendship or relationship that is uncertain? Maybe it’s concerns about the current state of world affairs that have us feeling overwhelmed. My friends! We get to have faith, wear Faith in Christ as armour! (Ephesians 6:16) Jesus knows each of our concerns. He is attentive to our heart and knows what we are worried about. And nothing that threatens to sink us is trivial to Him. Hallelujah God! Thank You!

The Bible teaches that worrying too often is unfruitful. It cannot produce the things we are hoping for. Only God can. Only God can work in the midst of every situation for His glory and our good. 

Holy Spirit reminds us not to fret but to be still and wait. I understand waiting is hard to do. Think of it like an activity even, worry, it is active; it gives us something to do, something to say, or to talk about with others. And yet when we feel overwhelmed by life, there is only one thing which is essential: sitting at the feet of Jesus as He surrounds us.

Psalms 125:1-2 NASB Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people from this time and forever.

This week, before you enter the rush of the day, before the cares and concerns race to overtake you, stop for a moment. Be still. Quiet your heart. Invite Holy Spirit into your moments. His words give life, remember that only God can bring about what we are hoping for, and only if what we hope for aligns with His will for our lives. Picture yourself at the feet of Jesus. Repent. Pray. And listen.  God leads, directs, guides, provides and covers all the bases in our lives. God was there in your past, He is here in your present and will be with us in  eternity.  God covers our past with forgiveness and healing, He surrounds our present with mercy and God maps out our future with promise and provision. Throughout the bible we read about how God continuously surrounds His children when we follow His will, word and way. The way God implements covering for us is absolutely remarkable, God deserves all the glory and praise for creating and providing shelter in each area of our lives, no matter how big or how small we perceive our issues to be. God is surrounding all that surrounds us. He is holy holy holy, Crestor of all that is all that was and all that will be. 

Exodus 24:15-17 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.

The current events that are rolling through history are a lot to take in…..  Sometimes it is all just too much. War. Poverty. Violence. Injustice. The unending stream of news pours in from social media and TV and radio stations. Something is terribly wrong with our world. This is not how it should be. And the behaviour of mankind is nothing new, absolutely no surprise to God since we fell for the trucks of satan since the very beginning.  

How can we find peace when we are part of the turmoil, when the world around us is in chaos? The answer?? We remain steadfast in keeping our thoughts on Jesus Christ, our plans under the will of God  - instead of surrounding our environments with opinions, teachings, lies of this world - we keep our eyes fixated on Jesus.