Pulling away from the parking lot at work, I breathed a heavy sigh as I tried to unwind on my short drive home. At any moment I knew the Hoover Dam holding back my tears could break. Not only was I so tired that not even caffeine could help, but I had a ministry meeting that night, over 1500 pictures to start sorting and editing, company arriving at my house a few days later, and on top of it all, it was raining and had been all week. Everything, from my perspective, was lining up perfectly for a stressful and crummy evening.
Tears continued to well in my eyes and were sure to start falling, so I squeaked out a prayer for some help. My prayer was not graceful or eloquent, but a mere cry from one stressed out chick. As I continued driving the Lord reminded me of a prayer I prayed just three days before: I had arrived at my friend’s house to pick her up for a Saturday of wedding photography. It was my first wedding shoot ever so I needed and wanted things to go really, really, REALLY well. As my friend & I talked, I looked in the sky and told her that we absolutely had to pray that the clouds would come. It was way too sunny and there was not a cloud in sight – a recipe for tough photographic conditions. I wanted the pictures of the bride to show her in her glory – beautiful and perfect on her wedding day – which best happens when the clouds come out and the sky is overcast. From the time I woke up that morning and viewed the skies I prayed almost every 10 minutes “Lord, send the clouds! Please Lord, you have to send some clouds!”
And He did. The Lord sent puffy white clouds all over the sky and the shoot turned out beautifully. The bride absolutely radiated and looked as gorgeous as ever.
As I snapped out of my memory and watched the rain continue to pour on my windshield, the Spirit began to make it clear to me what He was trying to say. The bible says that the Lord’s ways are higher than ours, that He has the greatest perspective on our lives out of anyone on this earth. We are His lovely bride that He uses to display His glory. There are times in our lives, like the one I was experiencing, when He allows the rain to pour and the clouds to roll in because He knows the beautiful picture that will be revealed. He sees His bride, beautiful and radiant and prepared for Him. It’s in the stressful days: the ones that challenge our attitude, our perseverance, our character, even our joy that He uses to refine us and set up the most beautiful picture. He knows His glory will be revealed through those moments.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
If you are walking through a tough situation, if you’re stressed out & your nerves are maxed out, or you have some sort of cloud brewing overhead take a moment and thank & praise Him. Your Father in Heaven is preparing to reveal His glory in you!
Father, thank you for your glory. I pray today that our heart’s cry would be like Moses’ when He cried out “show me your glory!” Use whatever you need to show us your glory. Do whatever you must to reveal your beauty through your children. Be blessed and exalted today Lord.
