Within a Cloud

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere….

After saying this, Jesus was taken up into a cloud while they were watching….suddenly two white-robed men stood among them, and said, “Why are you staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”   Acts 1:8-11 (based on NLT)

          Jesus disappeared into a cloud while His disciples stared skyward. Did they lose hope? Had they paid close attention to Jesus’ departing words and the words of the two white-robed men about His departure and return? 

          The disciples had suffered Jesus’ absence following His horrible death on a cross. After a miraculous resurrection, their friend returned to them and comforted them with His presence. But after several weeks, they watched Him leave again. Imagine the emotional roller coaster. 

          And yet, Jesus hadn’t deserted them. He had decreed Holy Spirit power to come upon them and two messengers declared He would reappear just as He had disappeared. Even though eyesight told a different story, did Jesus’ followers believe the messengers?

          Sight plays a huge part in my emotions. If life’s circumstances suggest all is well, I’m content. But if trouble arises around me, anxiety engulfs me. I forget about the faithfulness of my Heavenly Father. I forget about Immanuel—God with me. I forget about the Helper (Holy Spirit) that God sent in Jesus’ name. All I see is cloud cover. 

          The disciples saw a cloud conceal Jesus. Were they discouraged by His departure or encouraged by His words of revelation? Did the promise of Jesus' return on a cloud flood them with hope?

          Scripture tells us the disciples returned to Jerusalem, gathered together in the upstairs room of a house, and constantly prayed in unity. Eventually 120 believers assembled and Peter lead the charge to replace Judas, who had betrayed Jesus and committed suicide (Matthew 27:1-5). Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven (Acts 1:13-26). 

          Then it happened just as Jesus had foretold His disciples. A mighty roar from heaven, flames of fire, and different languages—signs of the Holy Spirit’s arrival—filled the room as well as the believers (Acts 2). Mighty acts of God through His apostles began to take place. Jesus’ presence, through the Holy Spirit, abided in them. 

          These apostles, eagerly awaiting His return, served Jesus until their deaths. A cloud may have concealed their Savior, but the revelation of His power revealed His spiritual presence. Even though present day believers have never seen Jesus, it works the same for us. We may focus on cloudy situations separating us from God, but if we study His Word and pray, His presence will be revealed to us. 

          Where’s your focus when troubles besiege you? Are you filled with anxiety or comfort? It all depends on your center of attention. 

          If you’re staring at cloudy days as if Jesus is absent, doubts will assail you. But if you are gazing at the clouds in hope of His return, your faith will increase. Jesus left for heaven on a cloud, but He’s also returning to earth on a cloud. 

          Oh the beauty of a cloudless day. But what enhanced loveliness those clouds display when the sun shines through them. Allow God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to shine through your cloudy days. Talk daily to Him in prayer. And soon, like a mighty wind, His presence will descend upon you in power.

…for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]—  2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP)

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.  Psalm 94:19 (NLT)

His Name is Freedom

Standing under the canopy of blue skies and billowy clouds, I sense the vast space afforded me by our Creator God. Descriptive words—airy, expansive, immense, open, unconfined—achieve their purpose, and still the opportunity to experience such a spacious place fills me with indescribable delight. Breathing room. Elbow room. FREEDOM! 

Quite the opposite of an open space, the confines of four walls hem in. Breathing room diminishes to a corner. Tentacles of anxiety surround and suffocate. Worry plagues the mind. Angst sets in. And fear claims another captive.

The years of Covid–yes, we are nearing the close of a second year—have been anything but free. Sickness, confusion, and gloom have shrouded the world in darkness. Various forms of confinement have been forced upon us. Disease and death seem to have become the norm. Because of the polarization of the facts about the virus and its cure, people are more estranged than ever. Fear waxes while freedom wanes. 

Our generation is not the first to have experienced a plague. We’re not even the first people to be ruled by authoritarian leaders. From the beginning of time, every generation has faced trials and tribulations. The Israelites, known as God’s people in the Old Testament, encountered all types of ordeals. Just as they were increasing in number and thriving in Egypt, a new king, who knew nothing about their patriarch Joseph, came to power. The massive population of Israelites threatened this new authority figure. So he began to oppress them with forced labor. 

Subjugation, ill-treatment, persecution, tyrannical rule—the Israelites groaned in their slavery for hundreds of years. They cried out to God for help and eventually He sent them a deliverer named Moses. Through many miraculous acts of God, Moses was able to free the Israelites from Pharaoh’s rule. They walked on dry land between walls of water that had formed the Red Sea. As their captors chased them, the Israelites watched the walled water splash down around their enemies and drown them. The Lord had saved them. They celebrated freedom with songs of victory.

But freedom didn’t last. For generations, the Israelites lived in cycles of bondage and deliverance. When they faced adversity, the Israelites looked to God to send a deliverer. They longed for a messiah to rescue them. When the Messiah finally came to earth, many of God’s people overlooked him because they were seeking a military leader. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, entered the earth as a babe. God sent Jesus, His Son, to be the Savior of the world, to bring salvation to all who would believe in Him. 

At 30 years of age, He began His ministry with a proclamation. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19

And He went about completing His mission, preaching good news to the disenfranchised, giving sight to the blind, freeing people from oppression and captivity. All this was done under the religious eyes of the Jews and the tyrannical rule of Rome. Because these groups enjoyed power, they despised the freedom Jesus was spreading among the common folk. The authorities sought to quiet Him through physical death. Even though these authorities achieved that goal, it wouldn’t have happened if Jesus hadn’t willingly given His life to save humanity. After all, He was and still is God, and He came to earth as the final sacrifice for sinfulness. He offered His life to deliver us from the bonds of sin and death. His resurrection from death made a way for all who believe in Him to live eternally with Him and enjoy abundant life while on earth. 

Once the Holy Spirit had empowered the believers and followers of Christ Jesus, they discovered it didn’t matter what the authorities did to the body. Holy Spirit power through belief in Jesus had freed their spirits. He had rescued them from the fear of human power. Maybe their bodies were in chains, but their minds and souls enjoyed freedom by trusting in Him. 

Throughout the years and around the world, many people have suffered the pangs of captivity. The burdens of mental, physical, and spiritual restrictions have weighed heavily on the hearts, minds, and souls of humans, and it continues to this day. The confines of four walls, chains of captivity, oppression and affliction hem in people, suffocating them. 

““Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.”

— C. S. Lewis

No matter the persecution we may endure, our spirits can be unshackled through the power of Jesus. A heart’s desire is freedom and a wide open space offers breathing room, but true freedom only comes through belief in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. He saves and delivers, extending peace and strength. When you believe and trust in God through Jesus, even if physically confined, nothing can exploit your spirit. If Jesus has set you free, you are free indeed.  

“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.  ”

— John 8:36 (NLT)