For God Alone: The Gift of Light
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)
We love watching the Sun rise and the Sun set, don’t we? Lately, I have noticed many friends posting their beautiful pictures of the Sun rising and setting than before the Great Sequester of 2020. The rising Sun is the prelude to the promise of a New Day … of new possibilities … of Hope. The setting Sun brings peace, providing a postlude to the end of a long, perhaps hard day of work, even struggle.
Both are gifts to humankind from our gracious Creator.
When our two children were young, and they would ask their Dad a rather obvious question, my response was always the same: Does the Sun rise in the East and set in the West? The daily rhythm of the Sun’s rising and setting gives our lives definition, purpose, and calm. And, in between the Sun’s rising and setting, God’s Word instructs with these words:
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! (Psalm 113:3)
Many years ago, I spent a week on Galveston Island studying the musical score of The Creation, part of my preparation to conduct Franz Josef Haydn’s masterpiece. One morning, I rose before Dawn, made a pot of coffee, then, with coffee mug in hand, ascended the steps to the third floor of the beach house where I was staying, and sat on the porch facing East. For over an hour, I sat in a chair, keeping my face and eyes on the Eastern horizon. From my lofty perch, I could hear the waves gently lapping the shoreline below, but I could not see the water.
Then … slowly … the silky black sky (the sky is darkest just before Dawn) turned to a deep, luxurious purple … then a rich, dark blue … then, slowly, hues of orange, red, and yellow appeared … until … at last … the first rays of the morning Sun crashed over the horizon! The glorious burst of brilliant sunlight that morning on Galveston Island is a memory I will never forget and forever cherish. But, in fact, the same splendid Prelude to the New Day occurs each and every morning.
The Creation, Overture, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22-24)
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see!
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Great Is Thy Faithfulness, Thomas O. Chisholm, 1866-1960
Music, William M. Runyan, 1870-1957
Great Is Thy Faithfulness, arr. Dan Forrest
Today, thank God for His faithful gifts of Sunrise and Sunset, His glorious prelude and postlude to each day of life. Spend this day praising Him for all He is, all He has done, and all He will do into Eternity.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
© Paul R. Magyar, DMA, 2020
Comments
Post a Comment