Have You Seen The Clouds?
It was a typical summer day, hot,
hotter and probably the hottest day this month.
But a strange thing happened late in the afternoon; suddenly we saw
clouds, dark clouds engulfing the city.
Soon there were strong winds and rains from nowhere that lashed parts of
the city. Many people who were returning
home from their workplaces were stranded.
No one was prepared for the sudden rains as it was not the season. In several places trees were uprooted, drains
were clogged and more important internet cables were broken at this sudden
rain. Farmers in the nearby villages
moaned the loss of their harvest of seasonal fruits that were damaged by this
unseasonal rain.
The weather reporters and most often farmers are very good in interpreting the weather unlike city dwellers like us. We often rely on our smart phones, televisions and radio for weather updates. Jesus during one of his discourses commented that the crowds listening to his teachings seemed to be skilled at interpreting the weather. When they see the clouds, rising in the west, immediately they say ‘it’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, they say, ‘it’s going to be hot’ and it is. He then calls them as ‘hypocrites’ who knows how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky but don’t know how to interpret the present times. (Luke 12:54-56)
We are all guilty of failing to
interpret the present times in God's perspective and find out God’s purpose and
will for our own lives and for those around us. We live in a world where almost
on a daily basis we hear of wars, natural disasters, accidents, crimes,
violence and at the same time promises of peace and prosperity with very little
change on the ground realities. These
are the signs (clouds) of the end times as Jesus himself teaches us as recorded
in the gospels. The only way in the midst of all the noises of this breaking
news is to seek God in the stillness of the day.
We need to learn to discern the
unique voice of the shepherd calling out our name and follow Him. The world is
looking for interpreters and it is the calling of each one of us to fulfill
this ministry. Let us not become ‘hypocrites’
but follow Jesus to become His disciples who will obey God’s calling. Let us to
see the clouds, interpret the times and obey the voice of God!
