THE CLOUD
"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud
to guide them on their way..." Exodus 13:21  

      The Bible class I attended moved to Dottie's house for our weekly study.  Some of the ladies were drinking tea or coffee during the fellowship time before the class started.  I finished my tea and sat down on the sofa to pray while waiting for the class to begin.  Suddenly I observed, in the spirit realm, a beautiful angel flying about the dining room.  It was a breath-taking sight!  This angel in a sparkling white garment resembled the one I'd seen at Bible class a few weeks earlier.

      While I waited for Marsha, our leader, to open the class with prayer, I wondered if angels are with us whenever we gather to study God's word.  After the prayer, Kathy began playing worship songs on her guitar.  A few minutes had passed when I became aware of what appeared to be a cloud descending from up near the ceiling, enveloping our heads in a mist-like covering.

      In amazement, I thought, what is going on here?  First I see an angel, and now I see a cloud!  I opened my eyes and the cloud was still there.  I glanced at the other ladies to see if they noticed the cloud, but everyone had their eyes closed while they worshipped the Lord.  Suddenly Kathy said, "Everyone stand up because I sense the presence of the Lord here with us."

      The cloud remained about our heads until Kathy finished the last song.   I was so awe-struck I couldn't say a word.  But I was thinking, this is like the pillar of cloud I read about where Moses led the Israelites our of Egypt.  I recalled that in Exodus it says, "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way..."

      I went home pondering the morning's happenings, wondering, are angels present all around us all the time, but we just can't see them?  Why did God open my eyes to see the cloud of His Presence?  At that stage of my journey to God I had not yet learned to talk directly to the Lord, so I did not inquire of Him what all this meant.

      During ensuing Bible study classes I found that I can have a one-on-one relationship with Jesus.  I know I can talk over my problems with Him and He tells me what I need to know.  What a comfort to bring all my burdens to the Lord!  He really does care.

      With maturity comes insight.  The more I study God's word the more I realize how little I do know.  There is always a new revelation, a new depth of the knowledge of God to be gleaned from studying the Bible.  I believe God reveals His truth to us as we are able to comprehend the meaning and apply it to our lives on a daily basis.

      By now I am convinced that the Lord has a purpose for showing me things I don't understand, but the season for their use has not yet come to pass.  Then, at some future time, I'm not shocked, but instead prepared for what comes along.

      In desperation over my circumstances some years later, I cried, "Oh Lord, I am confused.  I don't know which way to turn.  Please Help me."  God spoke to me, saying, "My dear child, follow the cloud and you will be on the right path."  In thinking this over I concluded that, in order to follow the cloud I need to spend time with God and patiently wait for His direction no matter how long it takes.  Waiting patiently means no grumbling or whining.   I can't say I have mastered 'no grumbling or whining' completely but I have high hopes.  I sure don't want to be like those Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for forty years.

      When God said to follow the cloud it brought back the memory of that exciting day at Dottie's house.  I recalled that glorious feeling of being enfolded in the cloud of His Presence which filled me with such peace and joy I didn't want it to ever end!

      What a wonderful, loving God!  Who can know the depths of His love for us?  I pray:  "Oh Lord, help me always follow the cloud and not get side-tracked."