Trusting the God of the Clouds: A Guest Post from Jessica

The day has arrived, and here is Jessica's long-awaited (on my part, anyway) blog post. I just have to say that the last few days have been pretty rough on me, and reading her post has encouraged me to, once again, step back from my problems and remember exactly WHO my God is.
I hope it will do the same for you!

Jessica's Photo

I’ve been stressed. Situations have come up beyond my control, and I don’t like it. I want to do something to fix them. But I can’t. So, I sit here, and I think, and I worry. I worry about the image it puts on God’s name, I worry how people may view me, I worry about the effects on others. I cry out to God in my mind, Do something! And God replies in His quiet, calm, way: I will. Remember all the situations in the past? They worked out, and they worked out for good. Do you think I can’t work this one out? Trust me!

Trusting is hard. It’s not my nature to sit back and wait, to let God fix my problems or plan my life; the least I can do is worry about it. But then I remember the times in just the last few months where I’ve stressed, and worried, and plotted, and then God comes in with His plan, and wow: it’s far better than anything I imagined. God doesn’t ask us to trust without the evidence that He is trustworthy. Why won’t I just let it all go, look up into the face of God and say, It’s all yours?

I read this verse one night this week, and although I may have been semi-asleep, the last line stood out: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:3) God has His way in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.

Watching clouds has always fascinated me. I can’t tell you the names of all the different formations, or what combination of hot and cold air or up and down drafts formed each one. But I like to watch them – the pillowy puffs floating past, or ominous clouds pushed by the wind, or wintery clouds that hang like a blanket. I enjoy seeing them morph into something entirely new and different as they merge with other clouds, or watching their shadows run across the paddocks. 

Now, wait on, the clouds are the dust of His feet. How much attention do I pay to the dust of my feet? It just puffs up as I walk along, and I never think about it again. And God says that the dust of His feet is the clouds (metaphorically speaking, of course)! Look how beautiful they are. See how varied and exquisite they are; they’re never the same each day or each hour. They tell of what’s coming – maybe rain, or hail, or fine weather. And they speak to me of their creator: The same God who created us is the one who wants to take your problem, and create something beautiful out of it. Can’t you trust Him?

It will take constant surrender, it will mean sacrificing my pride, it will mean shoving all the ‘what ifs’ out of my mind, but yes. Yes, I can trust God with this problem. Yes, I can count on Him to protect His reputation, to do what He sees best with mine, and to bring good out of this situation. 

And then, I read Psalms 42 and 43, and it couldn’t have been any clearer: 

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” (Psalm 42:5 & 11, Psalm 43:5)

Don't forget to head over to Apples of Gold if this has whetted your appetite for more!