Press Through the Dark Cloud

Pressing Through the Dark Cloud

Right now it may seem like God is absent or farther away than normal. It may seem like He is difficult to hear or reach.  Sometimes it feels like so much junk is floating around and life seems hard, difficult, and cloudy. Well, that’s because it is. 

The truth however is that God isn’t absent or far away, He just needs to be gone after.  We need to put in more effort and sometimes we don’t have the strength to put in so much effort.  The problem isn’t God, it’s our sight and hearing.  We are listening to and seeing the wrong things.  

It isn’t that God has moved at all or changed, it’s mostly that there is a layer of crud between where He is, and where we are.  This layer has settled in above us, and it’s being fueled by toxicity, hostility, anger, and every other dark thing that’s upset right now.

The Dark Cloud

Picture the earth, and then picture a dark cloud-like atmosphere all around it of toxic, lies, misinformation, hostility, etc. Then above that cloud, everything is still the same.  But from our perspective, all we see is this dark layer that’s so loud we don’t necessarily see the truth.  Our view is blocked, and our hearing is bombarded. Our senses are dulled and overwhelmed by this dark cloud.  We need to press through. 

Like when a massive storm rolls in we look up and all we see is the storm. In reality, above the storm are clear blue skies and the sun, but from our limited perspective, all we hear and see is the storm, and it affects how we feel. This layer of misinformation gives us the wrong impression of God, Heaven, and the world.  We need to press through it and see for ourselves the truth that is obscured by the atmosphere above. God is right there, maybe He isn’t as easily accessible as He once was, but it doesn’t mean He has changed or moved, there’s just a lot of pollution in the way.

Our View is Blocked

We might need to work a bit harder to press through this junk, this trouble, press through it and really see Him. When we look up and around us, all we see is the news, the worry, the lies, the hostility, the sickness, the toxicity, the problems, and then we make it worse by engaging in it, entertaining it, and letting it affect us and our families.  We should instead be ignoring it and pressing through it.

It’s like God is standing right there, yet we run around all day long not even noticing Him.  First of all, we don’t take the time or effort to at least try and look His way or try to at least notice Him.  Mostly, we are just so busy with our lives that we have little time to actually look.  And second, now that there is this layer of junk between us and Him it’s even harder to make an effort, we just assume He’s far away.  Sadly, we have been listening to everything we shouldn’t be listening to, we have been believing everything we shouldn’t be believing, and we are upset, afraid, and worried over everything we shouldn’t be.

God isn’t far at all, the atmosphere is just in the way. Instead of being pushed down by this atmosphere, instead of being crushed and bullied by it, we need to press through it, but It requires effort. More effort than maybe we are used to. Maybe we are used to God being right there, the air light and open, but right now something is in the way and it wants you to believe lies and to get you off track. It gives an appearance that God is absent or He isn’t answering or doesn’t care.

God Only has Good, Period

We need to be careful we don’t allow this to start to affect our hearts and weigh us down causing us to lose our faith. In reality, God hasn’t moved an inch, He isn’t mad, upset, or punishing you, He is standing there in all His splendor pouring out nothing but good.  The atmosphere is trying to hide Him and wants all the attention, like a child. “No don’t look at Him look at me pay attention to me. I’m upset, be upset with me. Be hurt, be afraid. Be worried.”

That’s what’s so heartbreaking about it, right now God is being accused and dishonored by all sorts of things, yet He’s standing right there doing nothing but good even though we don’t deserve it or haven’t earned it. If only we could really see. He’s pouring out only good and it’s for everyone, not just a few.  Even those we think don’t deserve it.  Right God has only good regardless of what we are and what we have done or haven’t done.  We make this difficult when really it’s pretty simple, God only has good for you.  All, you have to do is choose to accept it.  “Oh, I’ve done this or that.” It doesn’t matter. God only has good.

Now one day that may change, but it’s up to you. If you are on this earth right now, God is only offering good regardless of who are what you are. It’s not even about who you are. It’s about who He is. We need to stop seeing what’s in the way, stop listening to it, stop engaging with it. Press through this atmosphere, get to where God is, and remain there.  Press through for your family, your friends, your loved ones, and your church. Keep pressing until you break through this atmosphere and see the truth, the truth is right there in front of us but is trying to be hidden.  

The Road of Distraction

The atmosphere says “God is upset and He is judging you. He’s mad at you. He is sending bad things your way,” and we listen and let It affect us. We have to press through this atmosphere of misinformation and see Him, He’s only good, only doing good, and He’s only offering good. When we finally realize He has been right there this whole time, it’s heartbreaking.  We hear a lot of stuff every day. It’s time to press through and start seeing.

Picture a road lined on both sides with large groups of people, shouting, screaming ideas, opinions, and negativity.  And at the end of the road, way off barely lit is the goal, where God is waiting. This is where the truth is.  Where the air is clean.  The more you tune everything out and press forward the better chance you have of making it to that place.  Focus in and keep walking. Don’t turn to the left or right. Don’t take notice or strain to hear what is being said about you, let it remain mumbo jumbo. Don’t try to explain or engage in conversation. Move forward and say, “Sorry I can’t listen right now, I can’t pay attention right now. I need to keep pressing, I need to get to where God is.”

Keep Pressing

We need to stop listening and start pressing. Pressing through this atmosphere, til we see what’s really above it, and not only see it but anchor our faith and hearts in it, not just look at it every once in a while.  Be connected to it. Press until it’s noticeable that you aren’t under the same atmosphere everyone else Is.  “Wow, what’s up with you? Everyone else is so worried upset, harassed, and angry. But not you why?”  I pressed through and saw. My hope and confidence aren’t In this atmosphere but the one above it.  I’m not looking at all this, I’m looking above it at the truth.  I am connected to what’s above.”

Press through and see God for who He is right now. We think so many wrong things about Him. Press through that. Diligently seek Him. Don’t just wait for Him to come after you. “Why aren’t you here to help me? Well… he’s God. If He wants to come near He will. It’s up to Him. We will just wait wonder why He’s not closer and just keep waiting.” No. Start pressing. Start pursuing.  

Press Through the Crowd

In Luke, it talks about the woman with the issue of blood. Most people know this story about how she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed.  It sounds so easy like she just walked up to Him, but that day there was a massive crowd surrounding Jesus. The Bible says “the mob was pressing and hemming in all around Him.”  It would have seemed very difficult to get to where He was, maybe almost impossible. And to make it even worse, she was probably in great pain because of her condition, maybe weaker than normal.  But yet she pressed through the crowd with great determination and was able to touch Jesus’ garment. 

That took a lot of effort.  And what was even more interesting was she wasn’t on Jesus’s agenda for that day, He wasn’t on His way to see her. He was on His way to heal a little girl, and He probably would have just passed right by her, but because of her great effort in pressing through, she was able to be healed. To be connected to Jesus.  

Jesus even asked who touched me because He felt healing life go out of Him, someone had connected to who He was.  And consider this, He was surrounded by a huge mob of people but nobody else was being healed that we know of, He was just trying to get through this mob Himself.  So again, maybe Jesus seems difficult to get to right now, and maybe He isn’t on His way to see you, don’t let that stop you, press and keep pressing.

Finally, the Apostle Paul said “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal.” And I’ll take what Paul is saying one step further. Don’t only forget what is behind, but forget what is surrounding and above you and keep pressing through. Don’t stop until you are right where God is, connected to who He is right now.  

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