The Sky is So Blue! (12//8/14)

As we take a drive on a brisk December day Helen, my 93-year-old companion, comments “The sky is so blue!” There are fluffy white clouds drifting against a brilliant, blue background. The brightly shining sun creates an amazing view. Even though it is cold outside, the beauty of the sky is spectacular.

Because Helen’s memory does not work as well as it once did, she often repeats a comment only moments after she has spoken it. In the 10 minute drive between her house and mine, I heard “The sky is so blue!” at least eight times. One might find this repetition humorous or even annoying. But in times like this, my attention is drawn to the true beauty of that sky. On my own I may look up and appreciate the massive blue background to the clouds, birds and outlines of trees and buildings. I may note and possibly even voice my appreciation once. Then my mind would move on to other things. In Helen’s forgetfulness, her repeated comments bring me back to truly appreciate what is before me.

As we drove home later, that same sky was now dark. Stars were beginning to become visible and all traces of the blue we had seen before had vanished with the setting of the sun. This dark sky brought no comments from my friend. We spoke about other things as we made the return trip to her home.

Had anything really changed in that sky? The sky itself was exactly the same. It doesn’t change. What changes is the reflection of the sun. Without the sun to reflect what was blue becomes black. Other changes occur when clouds block the beauty of the blue sky. A sky full of gray clouds can hide any evidence of blue leaving a dreary image of pending rain. Yet behind those clouds that beautiful blue sky has not changed.

The sky of our lives is very much the same. God has placed each one of us on this earth in exactly the right place. His grace and mercy are like that blue sky. They are canopy over us that does not change. Regardless of the circumstances in our lives at any given time, God remains the same. “For I am the Lord, I do not change;” (Malachi 3:6a AMP) All His mighty attributes and faithful love are steadfast. We may simply not be able to see them at that given time.

The key factor to blue sky is a reflection of the sun. The key factor in accurately seeing God’s canopy over us is a reflection of the light of His Son, Jesus Christ. In order to see clearly, we must enter relationship with the true light. “…He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.” (John 8:12 AMP) Without the light of Jesus we can never truly see the loving nature of our Heavenly Father.

When we look up to the sky and see only gray it does not mean that the skies have actually changed. Rain clouds have moved into our line of vision blocking that brilliant blue. When trials and hard times are all that we can see with our natural eyes, God’s faithfulness has not changed. He is still Jehovah Rohi, the Lord our Banner! His love and protection is continually over us. We must cling to this truth. Even the grayness of the rain clouds brings a promise of much needed water for the earth. The grayness of the trials we face, likewise bring the promise of much-needed grace, mercy and strength from our loving Heavenly Father. In these times, we must cling to the Scriptures and the true nature of God. We have this promise, “Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.” (Psalm 36:5 AMP)

Doubting that God’s nature of love and concern for us is like doubting that the sky has remained intact. Riding in an airplane, the truth about the sky can become readily apparent. When traveling through a storm, the pilot will often guide the plane to an altitude that is above the clouds. The thunder, lightning and grayness of those clouds remain beneath the plane while the brilliant blue of the sky is all around. Through thanksgiving, praise, worship, Bible study and prayer we can rise above those clouds of trials just as the plane did. Like the pilot choosing to point the nose of the airplane upward, we can choose to lift our eyes up beyond the natural sight and look into the spirit realm where God’s true nature is obvious. We can know that the sky is still blue.

When facing trials, we may need to become a bit like my elderly friend, Helen. We may need to continually speak out the fact that the sky is still blue. We may need to remind ourselves over and over that beyond our current circumstances the grace and mercy of God still stands. His faithful protection of us has not changed. His love remains constant in all things. We remember, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1 AMP)

If everything is going well in your life right now, thank God for the blue skies. If things are rough, remind yourself that beyond the clouds the sky is still blue!