Thoughts on a Sunrise

I watched the sunrise today. 

This is a rare occurrence in my life - but it was amazing.

I sat out on the soccer fields and watched as the dark blue skyline melted into pink, then orange, then yellow and then the sun rose slowly over the horizon.  I think this might be only the second time I've watched an entire sunrise and I think I might make it a goal to see more. It was remarkable to just sit and 'watch' the earth turn, spinning perfectly on it's axis so that everything happened just right. I was reading through some of the Psalms before the sun actually peeked over the horizon. Psalm 113:2-9 says this: 

"Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.  He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!"

It was refreshing to watch a new morning begin with new mercies, new grace and be reminded of the power, sovereignty and beauty of my God.  

But the coolest thing about watching the sun come up was watching the light grow and the darkness be shoved away.  With each passing minute, the darkness faded behind me and slipped away.  I was, as a friend of mine once put it, "intrigued at the simple truth that Light overcomes Dark."  I flipped to John and read the passages where Jesus proclaims that He is the light and within Him is the Light of life.  It was a picture worth remembering:  where the Light is, darkness cannot be.  Where Jesus is, Satan and sin cannot be.  When I am found within the arms of Christ, I am protected from the darkness. John 8:12, "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 12:46, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness."  Ah, such glorious truth.

Today, I have gone through the day appreciating the sunlight a little more than usual for two reasons: 

first: because I actually haven't seen the sun in quite some time (it's a rare occasion at Grove City to have a day when it's not raining).

second: because I had been reminded of the power of Light today.  

This was the sunrise over the soccer field. Ah, gorgeous. 

May the sunlight remind you of the Light of the World: the One who gives us daily light, the One who is our Light.