All My Sorrows

Then Solomon said, “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud…” 1 Kings 8:12

A dark cloud. Why would the Lord choose a dark cloud to dwell in? 

Today there are innumerable magnificent Cathedrals like the ones in Florence, Milan, Cologne, Santiago de Compostela, Reims, Paris and of course Rome. Just entering one of these sacred spaces inspire us to awe and wonder of the God who gave the inspiration and skill to man to create these masterpieces. God did say in Genesis that He made man in His image. I believe He found so much joy and satisfaction in forming the lofty mountains, the fantabulous creatures in the sea and air, the meandering rivers, and the changing seasons, that He wanted to share this delight in designing and building with man. 

Anyone who paints, draws, dances, plays an instrument, designs houses, cooks, etc., has felt this satisfaction and camaraderie with our Creator. God our Father was so generous to give us this gift of imagining and bringing into being something that didn’t exist. It’s not magic, but can feel like magic in a way. We can know and love God  because He has revealed Himself in the beauty of nature, and in the gifts He has bestowed on us. Our hearts lift up high when we hear the symphonies of Handel, Mozart, Tsaikovsky or Strauss. Or when we see statues and paintings of the masters. So yes, God reveals Himself to us in the beauty of creation and the created things by human hands. 

But at the same time, we cannot know Him fully. Thus the “dark cloud” He chooses to dwell in. As St. Paul says, “at present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). When we ask questions like, “Why am I undergoing this hardship?” or “Why is there evil in this world?”, sometimes God does not choose to answer us, and keeps us in the dark. We just need to trust Him, that He loves us so much, that not a single tear, nor any level of pain is wasted. In Psalm 56:8, there is this reassurance: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” 

God knows. God cares. One day we will know as well the whys. Or perhaps it will not matter at all, because by then, we will be with the One who loved us first, loves us always and best.