Coming in the Clouds 
by Debbie Porter

 

Even though it's never easy, there's one day when getting out of bed early isn't quite so painful. Provided the bags are packed the night before, and everything has been done that can possibly be done, an early start on the first day of vacation is almost enjoyable.

 

 

So it was as we set out at 5 a.m. for our long journey northward. The stars were still shining brightly against the black velvet sky and the air was crisp with the chill that falls in those last hours of the night.

 

 

"We're going to see the sunrise aren't we?" Matt asked excitedly from the back seat of the car.

 

 

"We sure are!" I replied as Steve backed our heavy-laden car out of the driveway.

 

 

Seeing the sunrise isn't all that unusual for Steve and me, as we're both up well before the sun each week day. Even Kylie is usually conscious at that hour of the morning. But for Matt it's a rare experience, and one that he was very keen to behold. It also added to that very special "out of the ordinary" feeling that comes with going on a holiday.

 

 

As we turned onto the Motorway that led out of Sydney, the first rays of dawn were still some time away and the red tail lights of the cars ahead acted as beacons on the road. Before long, the familiar landmarks of the trip were not only hidden under a cloak of darkness, but were also shrouded in a misty fog.

 

 

"Argh!" I groaned, as splashes of cloud hit our previously spotless windscreen. After making sure that every car window was crystal clear the day before, it was disheartening to see all my hard work undone less than an hour away from home!

 

 

The mist came and went as we dipped and climbed along the motorway, but by the time we reached the Mooney Mooney Bridge, it was all around us. Not thick and impenetrable, but more like a soft, transluscent veil of grey.

 

 

Even though it was still dark, my eyes immediately sought out the windsock at the bridge entrance. The sight of this gauge has always left me feeling just a little uncomfortable, no matter whether it’s full-blown or flat. Just the fact that one is required at all immediately conjures up images of cars being caught in a cyclonic blast and blown over the edge!

 

 

However, the windsock is nothing compared to the sight of the bridge itself!

 

 

At 75 metres (246 feet) above the high water mark of the Hawkesbury River, the Mooney Mooney Bridge is the highest road bridge in the Southern Hemisphere, and spans 480 metres (1,575 feet) from start to finish, with a delightful dip in the middle - guaranteed to make your ears pop. It's a magnificent piece of engineering, but a slightly toe curling experience for height resistant folk such as myself!

 

 

Before I had time to think about what lay beneath (or what was holding us up for that matter), an awestruck voice from the back seat caught my attention.

 

 

"Look! It's like angels coming out of heaven!"

 

 

Following Matt's pointing finger, I immediately saw what had captured his attention. With the mist obliterating all sight of the bridge, and the darkness hiding everything but the oncoming stream of headlights, it did indeed appear to be a convoy of heavenly travellers touching down on earth.

 

 

"Like Jacob's Ladder," I whispered, thinking of the story in Genesis:

 

 

 

"He [Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

 

~ Genesis 28:12 NIV ~

 

 

 

The image of the lights seemingly falling from heaven was quite eerie and for a moment, even a tiny bit frightening. Even though I knew they were as firmly on the ground as we were, the first sight was most definitely unnerving.

 

 

We were all quiet for a second or two as the scene was played out before us. Then as we came closer, the illusion was broken and the "angels" transformed back into what they really were. Fellow travellers, making their way across a very high bridge on a foggy, pre-dawn morning.

 

 

As we sped along the freeway, I stopped and wondered at my reaction. Even though I'm not afraid of Christ's return, and in fact look forward to that day, the image I'd just witnessed had most definitely made an impact. The momentary sense of fear I'd experienced, gave me the tiniest glimpse of what it may be like when our Saviour appears again. For the Christian, the fear isn't one of terror or horror, but rather of reverence and awe, as we see the fulfilment of things long foretold through an event which is beyond our earthly experience.

 

 

Jesus made it very clear several times that He is coming again, and that His return will be spectacular and glorious. As He said in the Gospel of Mark:

 

 

 

"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens."

 

~ Mark 13:26-27 NIV ~

 

 

Reading our Lord’s words, it comes as no surprise that reverence and awe will most definitely be a part of our reaction to His second coming. But I really believe that these will be joined by a third response - and our little dog, Tiger, demonstrated this just one week after the Mooney Mooney Bridge experience, when we arrived home from our vacation.

 

 

As we walked wearily into the house after another 12 hour trip, our first thought was to see Tiger. Even though he'd been cared for by our friends for the week we'd been away, we knew that he must have been feeling quite abandoned by the family he wholeheartedly loves.

 

 

The minute he heard our voices, the little pup bounded and leaped enthusiastically. Even when I walked to the other end of the house, I could still hear his ecstatic pants of joy outside as he was reunited with his beloved humans.

 

 

This, I believe, will be the emotion that will flood the heart of every believer as they see their Lord return. The reverence and awe will most definitely be there, but the overwhelming sense of joy at seeing the One we love most will override everything else.

 

 

We don’t know when that day will be, and we aren't to become so caught up with waiting for the moment that we fail to live for His plans and purposes right here and now. But He is coming again, and oh what a glorious, joy filled day that's going to be!

 

 

"He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."

 

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

 

~ Revelation 22:20 NIV ~

 

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