For whatever reason two little sayings I learned from my dad’s Navy days have stuck with me. The first told the proper way to eat soup! “As little ships sail out to sea, I dip my spoon away from me!” The second explained how sailors used the skies to inform their plans. “Red sky at morning? Sailor take warning! Red sky at night? Sailor’s delight!”
The second sounds a lot like what Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 16:2-3. He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’” But He finished with a challenge. “You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times?” He issued a similar rebuke in Luke 12:56. “You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”
We appreciate knowing the weather in advance, and some enjoy playing armchair meteorologist. But we miss the point by only observing the skies.
In Ecclesiastes 11:4 King Solomon observed, He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. If we sit around waiting for the perfect circumstances, we’ll miss out.
When angels observed the disciples, dumbfounded and staring at the clouds after Jesus’s ascension, they asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
I, too, sometimes find it easier to talk about the weather or focus on the future than to turn my gaze onto God Himself. He is here now and wants to talk to me about my current circumstances. Am I uptight? He has a calming truth for me to meditate on. Do I keep thinking about a particular person? He probably wants me to pray for them or reach out to them. Do I feel stuck? He has a new perspective for me to consider. Is there a task or action I’ve been avoiding? He’ll give me the strength and courage to follow through today. Now is not the time for the believer to idly stand around; God calls us to understand His will, to be wise, and to make the most of our time (Ephesians 5:15-17).
One day people will see Jesus coming in a cloud with power and great glory. That will be the day to look up in awe at the clouds! When Jesus returns, our worries and concerns will end. Our work on earth will be done. We will see the fulfillment of every promise He made. Until then, however, let’s keep our heads out of the clouds and pay attention to His loving nudges each day.
