The Dust of Our Father's Feet

All of these pictures were taken on the same day within just a few minutes of each other, all from my back deck. It amazes me that the sky looked so different every time I moved my camera from one part of it to another. A devotion came to mind that I have read many times, it is my favorite. In "My Utmost for His Highest" Oswald Chambers asked this question, "What do you see in your clouds?" He goes on to say this, "Clouds are those sorrows or sufferings or providences, within or without our personal lives which seem to dispute the rule of God. It is by those very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were no clouds, we should have no faith. 'The clouds are but the dust of our Father's feet.' The clouds are a sign that He is there." (July 29th., pg. 211)

As I took these pictures, that question kept going through my mind until I said it out loud, "What do I see in my clouds?" The answer came quickly, "I see God!" I see His beauty and His grace poured out to me; I see the dust of His feet being stirred by the wind in the sky. I think I understand Oswald's figurative use of the clouds as an example of sorrows or sufferings, because with the clouds come the storms of life. They bring the winds of change and the cold of winter. But I can't help smile when I see the clouds rolling over the hills toward my back deck. I can't help but to run for my camera, because I have learned through the years that the clouds create the most beautiful sunsets. The clouds truly are a sign that He is there!

The Setting of the Sun

Let the rain come crashing down,

And darkness fill the sky.

And storm clouds crash with thunderous voice,

And lightning strikes flash by.

Let the wind with all its might,

Blow and bend the trees.

And waves well up with caps of white,

Upon the deepest seas.

I will not be shaken,

As the storm beats on the land.

Contented in the knowing,

My Father’s in command.

When the darkness passes,

And gale winds cease to blow.

Birds come out from hiding,

And blue skies start to show.

When earth declares His majesty,

Before the setting sun.

And rays of brilliant color,

Announce the day is done.

In awe I’ll see His glory,

Beholding such a sight.

Watching my dear Father,

As He’s turning out the light.

Whispering – “Good night.”

(He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is his name. Jeremiah 31:35)