Wait Until the Clouds Pass
Lesson Three • The Promise to Return
Devotion 6: Wait Until the Clouds Pass
Cameron Aldrich
One day, my 5-year-old daughter was riding in the car, looking out the window as my family was traveling. She was beyond thrilled when she noticed a beautiful sight up in the sky in the distance. She screamed, “Look! It’s a rainbow!” She made sure to inform everyone in the car, and all eyes glanced over to the spectacle that was making her practically jump in her car seat. Then, a moment passed, and her attitude was abruptly overtaken by disappointment as she realized that she could not see all of the rainbow due to the enormous clouds that were also present. Frustrated, she started whining, “I want to see it!” My wife kept responding, “Just be patient.” She stated it over and over to her as my daughter continued shouting out her ever-important desire.
Regardless of our age, it is so interesting how quickly our perceptions and attitudes can shift. Our feelings can change with the snap of a finger or at a moment’s notice just as something new or different happens to us, or especially as circumstances change. When considering our faith, it can be difficult to remain steadfast as we move from one situation to the next as the Lord leads us. As we continue to mature in our walk with the Lord, we can look to God’s Word to help provide us with wisdom, confidence, and perseverance in our faith.
This is undoubtedly true of the Apostle Paul when he wrote to Timothy. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul expresses the following, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
Paul is nearing the end of his ministry when he writes this letter to Timothy. Throughout his life, he endured and stood firm in his faith amidst hardships and near-hopeless situations. Paul lays out the inheritance that God promises to provide to those of us that do not stray from His will and purpose, even when storms and harsh weather appear in our lives.
Within this passage, Paul essentially states that he pressed on and never gave up carrying out the responsibilities and tasks that God gave to him throughout his journey. Having done so, he is now able to receive the reward that the Lord promised to him. That reward is a crown of righteousness. That means he is able to be restored and redeemed so that he can be seen as righteous in the eyes of God and then be re-unified with the Father in Heaven. There is no greater reward that we could receive compared to this.
It can be so easy to have excitement and to put in great amounts of effort when we begin a new chapter in our lives or as we find ourselves in new situations. We can have certainty of the beauty and blessing that they are to us at first. However, it can also be tempting and challenging to remain strong and steadfast in these circumstances, especially when storms do come.
When Paul stated that he “fought the good fight,” I believe it was clear that his perception did not waver throughout his journey. He did not let the storms and difficulties shroud his judgment. He viewed his fight as good because his fight was provided to him by the Lord. Serving and living for our Father is good, no matter the circumstances.
After our family had driven for a while longer, we were able to see many different views of the rainbow which first caught my daughter’s eye. Most of the time, we could not see much of it due to the surrounding storms. There were only slight glimpses of its beauty. However, after a while, my daughter’s eyes opened wide with awe once again, for as we continued driving and were finally clear of the storms, we were able to see the rainbow almost in its entirety from end to end. It was such a cool sight that I am sure my daughter will not soon forget. She just needed to be patient to see it.