Clouds.
Rain, drizzle, the pounding of a gully washer while thunder rumbles in the background.
We want the sunshine! We NEED the sunshine.
But what happens when we get too much sun? Sunburn ... that's a painful one. The soil dries up, plants wither, and even our houses and cars begin to fade, aging prematurely amid peeling paint and cracking plastic. If we dare look into the sun, it may be the last thing we see, as the sun's intensity can burn the interior of our eyes.
Exodus 33:20 tells us: "You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live." (NASB)
We need the sun, yet we live in a desert without the clouds. The rain provides sustenance while the clouds protect us from the fury of the overhead furnace that powers our world.
Psalm 46:1-3 says: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (NIV)
Your cloudy days are your growing days ... your learning days, the times when you can delve into the Word and seek the guidance of God. When you do, you will break through the clouds, and God's glory will shine all around you. You will be nourished in him, and you will grow strong in the kingdom of God.