Glory in the Gray

I’ve been running for lent. I know. That sounds weird. Especially if you know me. Maybe I’ll unpack the story behind it and the why in future posts. And maybe I’ll understand the why better myself in the months to come.

But needless to say, I’ve been running every day for the past three weeks. (Well except for a couple of very early travel days.)

One thing that I did in preparation and motivation before Lent started was to search out all of the places that Scripture mentions running or races or endurance or persevering and put them as an event each morning on my phone’s calendar. That seemed important. And it would give me a notification as I was getting out of bed early each day.

Today’s verse was Psalm 19:5. Which is one that mentions running very out of context. And the notification didn’t go off today so I almost forgot. Right after I ran I just sat on my front steps for a bit; it was then that I remembered to look at today’s verse. I sat there in the cool with no one around (#COVID_19) just listening to the birds and squirrels, reading the surrounding context of this verse.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

The thought that God’s glory is on display across the sky struck me. I love that imagery. It's amazing to me that nature and all things, really, give God praise.

But I sat on my porch, looking up at a very cloudy sky, I couldn't help but wonder how that displays God’s glory. It wasn’t one of those gloomy cloudy skies, the ones where you can see multiple clouds and stand amazed at the ominousness.

It was just a blank gray sky.

Are the clouds and drizzle His handiwork too? Does the drab radiate praise?

And in this week, this hard and confusing week, where is God’s glory in the Coronavirus outbreak? In the isolation and quarantine? In the mixed messages from the media? In the confusing and often gray emotions? In the difficult decisions and disappointments?

This week seems very much like today’s sky.

But here’s a thought: My perspective of these clouds is just a blank grey canvas. However, on the other side, on the heaven-side of these clouds, they are probably enormous beautiful clouds. They may be thunderous, but they’re probably incredible.

I flew in from Florida on Friday and we flew through storms to land. But before we descended through the rocky clouds, the view from the top was spectacular. The type of clouds you’d want to jump on. Dangerous, but beautiful.

So, I cling to that. The hope that while I see blank gray, there is something spectacular on the heaven-side. That this is a time when God’s glory will be on display. Just as it has been since creation, just as it will be forevermore.

The middle of Psalm 19 reads:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

(Psalms 19:7-10)

God’s truth and goodness are the hope that we cling to. He revives our souls, this world, and these confusing times.

So let’s endure, friends, and hold fast to Him above all else.

Because His glory will be displayed; He is still good.