September 18

And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!” — Luke 9:35 BSB

Many of the sweetest comforts and deepest truths are revealed to God's children through the clouds of sorrow. Many Christians learn more about God in a short season of suffering than they had learned in years of prosperity. We would never see the stars if the sun didn’t set. Likewise, we would never truly appreciate the promises of the Bible, which shine like stars, if the bright days of ease and joy didn’t occasionally give way to the night of sorrow.

It is often in the midst of our darkest clouds that we hear the Father's voice, saying, “This is my Son.” Christ is present even in the shadows, though His face may be hidden for a time. He is in the center of every storm.

The message from the cloud also says, “Listen to him!” We must learn to listen to Christ, and only to Him. There are mysteries about Christianity, things difficult to understand, but we can trust God to reveal them in His time. Meanwhile, our role is to faithfully do the things Christ asks of us, trusting that understanding will come later.

Just as rain falls from clouds to refresh and nourish the earth, so too does sorrow's rain fall to enrich and strengthen our lives.