Six Cloudy Days

A rainbow forms in a cloud of mist over the Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Picture: John Moore/AP/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

By Tatenda Hwari

You pray, but you do not see the answer. You believe, but circumstances seem unchanged. You have received a word from God, yet the fulfilment appears to be taking longer than you expected. You know that God is present, but you cannot understand what He is doing. These are the six cloudy days. They can happen to an individual, a family, a community or even a nation. They are seasons of uncertainty, waiting and silence. They can test our patience and challenge our faith. Yet Scripture reminds us that a cloud does not always mean that God has left. Sometimes, the cloud is precisely where His presence is being revealed. Consider Moses. After Israel had come to Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain to meet with God. Scripture says: «“The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.” — Exodus 24:16 (NIV)» Notice something remarkable: God was there before He spoke. The cloud covered the mountain for six days. Moses did not receive the word on the first day. He did not receive it on the second, third, fourth or fifth day. He waited through the sixth day. Then, on the seventh day, God called him from within the cloud. What was Moses doing during those six days? The Bible does not give us every detail of his activities during that waiting period. But we know that he remained there. He did not walk away simply because God had not spoken yet. That is an important lesson for us. Sometimes we think that if God is silent, nothing is happening. We measure God’s activity by what we can see. If the situation has not changed, we assume that God is not working. But Moses’ experience teaches us something different. God can be present even when He has not yet spoken. The cloud concealed the mountain, but it did not conceal God. Perhaps someone reading this is living through a cloudy season right now. You have been praying for your family. You have been asking God for direction concerning your future. You have been waiting for employment, restoration, healing, reconciliation or an opportunity. You have worked hard, remained faithful and continued believing, but the circumstances seem stubbornly unchanged. You may be asking, “Lord, how long?” Perhaps your six cloudy days have been longer than six days. Maybe they have lasted months or even years. Do not allow the length of the waiting season to convince you that God has abandoned you. Waiting is not the same as being forgotten. There are things that God develops in us while we wait. Patience is developed in waiting. Character is tested in waiting. Faith becomes deeper in waiting. We learn to trust God not only because of what He gives us, but because of who He is. And this principle does not apply only to individuals. Communities can experience cloudy seasons. Nations can experience seasons when people long for peace, justice, economic stability, unity and a better future. Sometimes an entire generation can feel as though it is waiting for the clouds to lift. In such moments, despair can become tempting. But hope must not be abandoned simply because the answer has not yet appeared. A nation is built not only through what happens in its visible moments of triumph, but also through what people choose to do during difficult seasons. Communities must continue to serve one another. Families must continue to nurture their children. Young people must continue to pursue purpose. Leaders and citizens alike must continue to value truth, responsibility, compassion and the dignity of every human being. Cloudy days should not become an excuse to stop building. They should become an invitation to build with greater faith, wisdom and perseverance. The same is true in our personal lives. Sometimes we want God to remove the cloud immediately. But perhaps there are lessons He wants us to learn while we are underneath it. Moses could not force the seventh day to arrive. He could only wait. And when God’s appointed moment came, God spoke from within the cloud. This is perhaps the most beautiful part of the story. God did not necessarily speak after the cloud disappeared. He spoke from within it. That means we should never assume that God can only speak when everything around us is clear. Sometimes God speaks in the middle of uncertainty. Sometimes faith means saying, “I do not understand what is happening, but I still trust the One who is with me.” The cloud may hide tomorrow from your eyes, but it does not hide tomorrow from God. Your present circumstances may be unclear, but God is not confused. Your journey may be difficult, but your difficulty does not mean that your story has ended. So, if today feels like one of your six cloudy days, remain faithful. Keep praying. Keep working. Keep serving. Keep loving. Keep learning. Keep believing. Do not make permanent decisions based on temporary clouds. And above all, keep your eyes on God. There will be moments when you cannot see the road ahead. There will be seasons when answers seem delayed. There will be times when silence feels louder than anything else. But remember Moses. The sixth day was not the end of the story. There was a seventh day. And when that day came, God spoke. We may not know when our circumstances will change, and we should be careful not to manufacture promises God has not made. But we can know this: God remains worthy of our trust even in the waiting. The cloud is not the conclusion. The silence is not necessarily the end. The waiting season is not necessarily wasted. For the person who is struggling today, take courage. For the family that is waiting, do not lose hope. For the community facing difficult circumstances, continue building together. And for a nation longing for a better tomorrow, let hope remain alive. There may be six cloudy days, but God is still God. And sometimes, the greatest testimony is not that we escaped the cloud immediately, but that we learned to trust God while we were still inside it. “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” — Psalm 31:24 (NIV) By Tatenda Hwari

tatehwari@gmail.com