“And now people do not see the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind has passed and cleared them. From the north comes golden splendor; Around God is awesome majesty.” (Job 37:21–22).
Job wished that the former days would return, when God’s lamp shone over him and he walked through darkness by God’s light (Job 29:2–3). But his life had grown dark, and he went about mourning without the sun (Job 30:26, 28). From the knowledge that God can make the sky clear again by His breath, he could draw only little confidence (Job 26:13).
In the verse quoted at the beginning, Elihu reminds the tested Job of an important truth: Even behind thick clouds the sun shines. And at some point a wind rises and drives the cloud cover away (cf. v. 9). The firmament is then bathed in beautiful golden radiance when the sun shines on the clouds drifting off to the north. It becomes bright again! With these words, Elihu not only describes a natural phenomenon, but also gives a spiritual lesson.
Dark Clouds
In our lives, clouds can gather that dim the light of God’s presence and rob us of joy and confidence. In such a situation, it is good to remember two things:
• The light of the glory of God always shines. Our view may be clouded in distress, but God’s love remains unchanged. God’s goodness endures all day long, even if in some hours we feel only little of it (Psalm 52:3). God wants us to be refreshed again and again by His word and strengthened in trust in His grace. Then we can see past the clouds of worries and tribulation and say with Job: “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15).
• The darkness will not always remain. As soon as God drives the clouds away, His glory will be visible. When Job reached the “outcome of the Lord” and God showered him with blessings, it became clear that God is “very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11). There was still little to be seen of this when Job sat, bent with pain, on the ash heap. But through the comforted and blessed Job it became evident that God does not afflict the children of men from His heart (Job 42; Lamentations 3:33). God also highlights this today when He brings the darkness of testing to an end. For us, this will be the case at the latest when the Lord Jesus returns. 
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you.”
Isaiah 60:1–2
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