Finding God's Presence ~ Seeing Beyond the Veil

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

The cold front approached the mountain ridges. Ominous black clouds billowed overhead proclaiming the imminent storm. Temperatures had been soaring in our mountain communities, steeping the air with thick humidity while twenty-one days with no rain had left the earth parched.

And now the wind began to blow. A stormy wind. A howling and frightening wind.

Trees began to bend from the force. The surrounding landscape grew dim, shrouded in a dense fog - the culmination of wind and rain and fierce storm.

I sometimes bend from the force of the stormy wind. The moments that lie ahead are shrouded in a  dense fog - a veil, if you will.

All because of the storm.

But I'm learning to look beyond the veil and see the coming stillness illuminated by heaven's light.

I'm learning to look beyond the veil and find purpose in the stormy wind.

Consider the purpose of the wind when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea.

The Egyptians were in hot pursuit, gaining quickly. The Israelites camped against the Red Sea with no way out. Fear gripped their hearts. Some, without question, doubted the faithfulness of the Lord to deliver them from this nightmare. 

But God had a plan.

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea." ~ Exodus 14: 21-23

After their deliverance, Moses and the children of Israel sang a song of praise to the Lord:

"The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' You, Lord, blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" ~ Exodus 15: 9-11

The stormy wind steered by the mighty breath of God made a way for God's children where there seemed to be no way.

Fierce, stormy winds in our lives often have a similar result. But, in the wind, we must learn to see beyond the foggy veil -  to walk by faith and not by sight - to behold our miracles. We must learn to trust in a Sovereign God.

Mark Guy Pearse has a remarkable quote about life's storms: 

"Today, only questions surround your great sorrow, but then you will see how the threatening enemy was actually swept away during your stormy night of fear and grief. 

"Today you see only your loss, but then you will see how God used it to break the evil chains that had begun to restrain you. 

"Today you cower at the howling wind and the roaring thunder, but then you will see how they beat back the waves of destruction and opened your way to the peaceful Land of Promise."*

I love how God is present, especially in the stormy winds.

When I consider the source of the wind, my heart is stilled and I am quieted by His love.

* Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

Where is God when I face the impossible? @NanJonesAuthor offers a glimpse. (Click to Tweet)

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Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas announces the release of The Perils of a Pastor's Wife, by Nan Jones on June 30, 2015.

"The Lord wants us to understand that it is He, and He alone, who can turn our bitterness into the fruit of unfailing love - that our bitter waters can taste beautifully sweet because of Him."

Nan Jones
Chapter 7: Come to Me; The Peril of Thirst
The Perils of a Pastor's Wife