Do you remember lying on the grass as a child, watching the clouds drift overhead and imagining shapes in the sky? A dragon. A rabbit. A sailing ship.
Even now, I still find myself looking up.
I’ve always loved taking pictures of clouds—whether they’re soft white wisps stretching across a bright blue sky or dark storm clouds gathering before the rain. There’s something about them that fills me with awe.
Now, years later, whenever I see clouds, they remind me of God’s presence.
Throughout the Old Testament, clouds often symbolized that God was near. After the flood, He placed a rainbow in the clouds as a sign of His covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:13). It was a visible reminder of His faithfulness and His promise.
But one of my favorite examples comes from Israel’s journey through the wilderness. After God delivered His people from Egypt, He didn’t simply tell them where the Promised Land was and send them on their way. Instead, He went with them.
“And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped.”
—Numbers 9:17 (ESV)
Imagine what that must have been like.
Some days the cloud moved, and the people packed up and followed. Other days the cloud remained in place, and they stayed exactly where they were. They didn’t know how long each stop would last. They simply learned to trust the One leading them.
I’ve often thought that’s a beautiful picture of our own seasons of waiting.
So many times, I’ve wanted God to hand me a map. I wanted to know where He was taking us and how long it would be before we arrived. But that’s rarely how He works.
Instead, He invites us to stay close enough that when He moves, we move. And when He says, “Stay here,” we trust Him enough to remain.
Looking back over our own two-year season of waiting before Chris accepted the police chief position in Topeka, I realize God wasn’t simply preparing our next home. He was teaching us to depend on Him day by day. The waiting wasn’t wasted because His presence never left us.
Sometimes our own lives feel like they’re covered with storm clouds. We can’t see what lies ahead, and we wonder whether God is still leading us at all. But Scripture tells a different story.
The cloud wasn’t a sign that God had abandoned His people. It was a sign that He was right there with them.
The clouds may hide the sun, but they can’t hide God. He is still leading. He is still faithful. And He is still inviting us to stay close to Him, even when we can’t yet see where the journey is leading.
One day, our waiting will finally come to an end. Jesus Himself promised that He would return:
“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
—Luke 21:27 (ESV)
Until that day, every cloud can remind us of something far greater than the weather. It can remind us that we aren’t simply waiting for God to act. We’re learning to walk with Him.
Journaling Prompts:
- Think about a season of waiting you’re experiencing right now. Are you spending more time asking God to change your circumstances, or asking Him to help you stay close to Him? What would it look like to focus on His presence today?
- Read Numbers 9:17–23. The Israelites moved when the cloud moved and stayed when the cloud stayed. Is God asking you to step forward in faith, or to remain where you are and trust His timing? How can you respond with obedience?
- Recall a time when you could only see God’s guidance in hindsight. How did He prove His faithfulness during that season? Write a prayer thanking Him for leading you then, and ask Him to help you trust Him with the path ahead.
Disclosure: the featured image was created by AI to illustrate the subject of the post. It does not represent any real person, location or product. The clouds photo is the property of Angie Vallejo.
I’d love to hear what you think!