Is your soul under a cloud? puzzled perhaps by the prevailing condition of things around you, as if God had given up the rule to whoever will take it? Are dark forebodings creeping in as if on board an abandoned ship tossed in the stormy night? Is that questioned to-day which yesterday was so honestly confessed?

Precious soul, "there is nothing new under the sun." John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said that "among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater," was once tossed and tried like you. He was in prison for righteousness' sake, he, the forerunner of the King of kings, and he could not understand how this should be, while he heard of the mighty power Jesus was displaying in the land. So he sends two of his disciples to Jesus with this question, "Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? " (Matt. 11:3).

How could he ask such a question after having said a little while before, " He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God " (John 1:32-34).

Does our dear Lord crush His poor servant for such inconsistent behavior? Nay, He knows that inconsistency is but the fruit of darkness and He gently draws His doubting servant out of that darkness:in effect He replies, Go and tell John again of My mighty deeds; but if, in My perfect wisdom, I see fit to leave him in prison and let him be beheaded there, he must be patient and suffer with Me to the end, even though he cannot understand why. Let him trust Me, and at the end he will understand it all (Matt. 11:4-6).

Beloved, this is still the way the Lord chases our clouds away.