God in a Cloud

…the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.

Exodus 24:16

Our car’s glove compartment bulged with roadmaps. Mother would mark our vacation route in pencil and navigate Dad from pit stop to pit stop. And, I can still envision her attempting to refold those maps once we safely arrived. 

Today, digital maps not only show me where I’m going but identify the designated driving lane and exit. Generations ago, God used an entirely different system with the Israelites as they traveled to the Promised Land. He led them with a cloud. They’d stop when the cloud stopped. When it lifted, they’d pack up and head on their way (Num. 9:21). 

God also used a cloud when speaking to Moses on Mt Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud (Exodus 24:16). 

And then, a passage in Deuteronomy describes a sobering event involving yet another “pillar of cloud.” The Lord said to Moses, the time of your death is now approaching…. When Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the tent of meeting, the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent (Deut. 31:14-15).

Until now, I seldom gave clouds much thought other than simply to admire their form, color and movement. Truly, only our God can transform such ordinary components of our world into divine tools to accomplish His purposes.

If He can do that with droplets of water, just imagine what He can do with a yielded human life!

Linda Les