No matter how many sunrises a person might witness over a lifetime, who could tire of the majestic spectacle, with its mesmerizing shades of lavender, scarlet, apricot, and golden yellow—all aglow with the backlight of the sun, and each dawn different than all those before.
I’m filled with wonder as the morning sky begins to fill with light and “the heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship”[1]. He is the supreme Artist.
My favorite sunrise-displays are those when clouds are positioned just right to create magnificent gleaming rays reaching into infinity.
Perhaps God inspired the prophet Malachi with just such a sunrise as he wrote: “The Sun of Righteousness [our Messiah] will rise with healing in his wings for you people who fear my name”[2].
Wings refers to sunbeams, bringing to mind the unending healing of God’s forgiveness, available to all who put their trust in Jesus. He provides for us the dawning of a new day as we choose to move out of darkness and into his marvelous light [3].
Sunrise is also God’s daily reminder that his faithfulness is great and his mercies begin anew each morning . Perhaps he wanted us to understand that his faithfulness to us is as certain and consistent as the sunrise, yet full of surprise and creativity as well [4].
The dawn brings hope, reminding us that:
- Just as the sun is bigger than any planet in our solar system, so God is bigger than any challenge we might face.
- Just as the sun always shines whether in full view or behind clouds, God is always with us whether we sense his presence or not.
- Just as the sun never fails to rise, so the Son will never fail to rise, bringing the light of his salvation, truth, and wisdom.
- Yesterday’s disappointments and failures are past; a new day with fresh blessings and possibilities has dawned [5]!
In addition to hope, fresh joy comes with the morning light.
But to see the dawn and experience its pleasure, a person must look at the sunrise. If we’re going to see joy and experience its pleasure, we must look to the Son, the source of joy [6]. Then, each day becomes an opportunity to live in wild, blissful amazement of God.
When you do witness a glorious sunrise doesn’t it make you smile—if not on your face, then in your spirit? We can augment that joy with gratitude—not just for a breath-taking dawn, of course, but for all the beautiful, remarkable, and pleasurable things God generously bestows.
Author Roman Payne wrote in celebration of the sun: “O, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth!” And surely we’d agree, a golden sunrise especially proves his point.
But just such a sunrise might better serve as a reminder to celebrate the Son:
O SonLight, more precious than all the gold to be found on Earth!
* * * * * * * * * *
I praise you, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for your light that is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise! You are the source of all blessing, the brightness of our days, and our guiding Light to show the way. Without you, life is like twilight with dark night ahead. But with you, it is the dawn of morning with the light and warmth of a full day ahead.
(Psalm 84:11 PTP; James 1:19; 2 Samuel 22:29; Psalm 119:105;
last sentence based on Philip Schaff quote.)
[1] Psalm 19:1 NLT
[2] Malachi 4:2a
[3] 1 Peter 2:9
[4] Lamentations 3:23, and an idea inspired by Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses, pp. 115-116.
[5] Philippians 4:13; Psalm 23:4; 27:1; 119:105, 130; Ecclesiastes 2:13
[6] John 15:11
Photo credits: http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.peakpix.com; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.rawpixel.com.; http://www.peakpix.com.
From the Inside Out 