Men See Not the Bright Light Which
The sermon encourages us to view our sorrows and troubles from a new perspective, seeing them as reflections of the bright light of Christ's face.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes the beauty and significance of clouds in both nature and human life, illustrating how they can obscure but also reflect the bright light of God's presence. He encourages believers to view their sorrows and troubles from a heavenly perspective, recognizing that even in darkness, there is a divine light that brings hope and refreshment. Meyer reminds us that clouds are transient, and with faith, we can find contentment in the midst of life's challenges, trusting in the promise of brighter days ahead.
Text
Men see not the bright light which
is in the clouds. Job xxxvii. 21.
THE world owes much of its beauty to cloudland. The unchanging blue of the Italian sky hardly compensates for the changefulness and glory of the clouds. Clouds also are the cisterns of the rain. Earth would become a wilderness apart from their ministry. There are clouds in human life, shadowing, refreshing, and sometimes draping it in blackness of night; but there is never a cloud without its bright light. "I do set my bow in the cloud! "
If only we could see the clouds from the other side where they lie in billowy glory, bathed in the light they intercept, like heaped ranges of Alps, we should be amazed at their splendid magnificence. We look at their under side; but who shall describe the bright light that bathes their summits, and searches their valleys, and is reflected from every pinnacle of their expanse? Is not every drop drinking in health‑giving qualities, which it will carry to the earth?
0 child of God! If you could see your sorrows and troubles from the other side; if instead of looking up at them from earth, you would look down on them from the heavenly places where you sit with Christ; if you knew how they are reflecting in prismatic beauty before the gaze of heaven, the bright light of Christ's face ‑‑ you would be content that they should cast their deep shadows over the mountain slopes of existence. Only remember that clouds are always moving, and passing before God's cleansing wind.
"Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be o'er me, where the dark clouds have been:
My hope I cannot measure, my path of life is free;
My Saviour hath my treasure, and He will walk with me."
Sermon Outline
- The Beauty of Clouds
- The Bright Light in Clouds
- A New Perspective on Sorrows
- Looking at sorrows from the heavenly places
- Sorrows reflect the bright light of Christ's face
- Contentment in the midst of troubles
Key Quotes
“If only we could see the clouds from the other side where they lie in billowy glory, bathed in the light they intercept, like heaped ranges of Alps, we should be amazed at their splendid magnificence.” — F.B. Meyer
“If you could see your sorrows and troubles from the other side; if instead of looking up at them from earth, you would look down on them from the heavenly places where you sit with Christ; if you knew how they are reflecting in prismatic beauty before the gaze of heaven, the bright light of Christ's face - you would be content that they should cast their deep shadows over the mountain slopes of existence.” — F.B. Meyer
“Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen; Bright skies will soon be o'er me, where the dark clouds have been: My hope I cannot measure, my path of life is free; My Saviour hath my treasure, and He will walk with me.” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- We can view our sorrows and troubles from the heavenly places, looking down on them from the perspective of Christ.
- We should be content that our troubles should cast their deep shadows over the mountain slopes of existence, knowing that they reflect the bright light of Christ's face.
- We should move forward and not get stuck in our troubles, remembering that clouds are always moving, and passing before God's cleansing wind.