How’s Your Cloud Cover?

Clouds are sort of fascinating to me.  As I understand it, clouds are water vapor that have condensed around dust particles and float in the sky.  Some clouds are light and fluffy and others are dark and dense and bring much rain.  In the book of Hosea, God is declaring both judgment and restoration to the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.  In chapter 6 verse 4 God says this regarding their faith:  “O Ephraim (another name for Israel) , what shall I do to you?  O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the early dew it goes away.”  We’ve all seen those morning clouds that burn off as soon as the sun comes up and the temperature rises.  The early dew evaporates into the sky as the temperature increases.  God is comparing the faithfulness of His people to the morning cloud which burns off or goes away so quickly….and this is not a good thing.  In this analogy, faithfulness should be more like a dense, thick cloud cover that alters the appearance of everything you see and colors the entire landscape.  

How is your faithfulness?  Does it “disappear” as soon as the “temperature” is turned up?  Is your faithfulness light and fluffy and not really good for much other than appearance?  Or is your faithfulness something that covers your life and influences it, that can stand up to the heat of this life?  Trusting in God and leaning into His word will increase your cloud cover and you won’t be disappointed in that and unlike Ephraim and Judah, you won’t disappoint your heavenly Father.