PHOTOS: It starts with a hint and goes from there... Barnum and Bailey did not have "The Greatest Show on Earth."
I am a fairly consistent observer of sunrises. If you are not a morning person, don’t turn me off. There’s something deeply meaningful to God in this 24-hour cycle and that means we should all pay attention to its unfolding.
Before there’s really a hint of sunlight, there’s usually this forerunner called The North Star, or what most see much of the year, the planet Venus.
Why would God shine a flashlight in the sky during the darkest time of the night? Uh, that was more of a rhetorical question.
Next, a rim of light appears over the horizon. It’s like a warm-up band. But before long, the real show begins and it is not the sunrise - as beautiful as the rising ball is.
The pre-sunrise sky can be stunning. It’s a way of God announcing himself, like an impressive dude in an expensive suit handing out his business card. But it’s also the heralding of a new start, a second chance, a dazzling display of grace and a reassurance that God is in charge no matter how out of control last night was or the day before or the year before or…
The manifestation of brilliant colors, a vast sky and ever-changing hues all wrapped into a pre-dawn show is meant to reveal his greatness. Yes, but much more. It’s God putting his heart on the line, and particularly, his heart for you.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: Have you ever seen a mother making sure every last decoration, flower and detail is in place so that her son or daughter’s wedding day spells “Romance” to the tenth power? God does this every day on our behalf. If you’ve been missing his lavish love because of some darkness, it’s time to wake up.
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’… you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts…while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
Lamentations 3:19-24 NIV, 2 Peter 1:19 NASB, John 20:1 NIV