Recently I had the opportunity to ponder the promise of a sunrise.
I often take snapshots of the sky while moving through early morning activities. At this time of the year, the sun is not visible from where my husband and I sit on the patio to drink our coffee, until it is quite high in the sky. I have to walk over to the other side of the backyard to catch a more accurate perspective of the celestial activity.
Bottom photo: view from the other side of the yard.
These snapshots were taken within seconds of each other
On this particular day, I had time to wait for the big ball of fire to actually appear. I kept walking over to the other side of the yard and was determined to catch that moment when the actual sun showed its face. It seemed to take forever. The official time of sunrise was 6:19 am. Even at the better location, the horizon was still blocked by houses. I don’t know what time I actually saw the sun, but it was well after 7:00 am. Here’s a 24-second stills progression of the event.
There are so many lessons in that wait for the promise of a sunrise. I cannot imagine living in a place where there is no easy access to natural light, let alone no view of the sun, ever. Those places exist. But no one denies that the sun rises and sets every day.
Would it be harder to believe in the promise of a sunrise if one never saw it? If it were me, I think the answer might be yes. What would be the reason for the hope? And I would further ask what we needed the sun for since we have all this artificial light. It might be hard to convince me of all the benefits of the sun and why we need it! Even so, with all my head knowledge about God and his promises, there are places in my heart that need convincing, where hope seems not to exist.
The implications of unbelief can be harsh. No hope? No future? If I am unable to see my way out of or through a challenging time, however brief or long, I need to encourage my heart that God is true, his promises never fail, and there is always the promise of a sunrise at some point in my journey. It won’t be the only sunrise, and it also won’t look like any other sunrise.
Whether or not I know what the sunrise will look like, is irrelevant. I need to operate with confidence that it will come, just as promised. Remember The Promise of Potatoes, in Pots? Whether the method of God’s promise delivered is familiar to me or never before seen, the fulfillment of the promise will still come – over, and over, and over again. If I’ve only seen the sunrise at the beach, I can’t begin to guess how it will look over the mountains. And yet, it comes. His mercies are new every morning!
These sunrises are from the same location – all unique!
Do we have cloudy days? Sure. This does not mean the promise doesn’t come. Rather, the sun’s rays can be even more intense through the cover of clouds, depending on what season we’re in, and, especially during the growing season. Often God is working behind the scenes to bring the fulfillment of a promise. He is much more intense and purposeful than we could ever be. Just because we can’t tangibly see the fulfillment of the promise, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Our process of faith and trust can be much like waiting for that sun to rise and be tangibly visible to our eyes.
This post is a little longer and took a little more effort because honestly, I needed the pep talk right now.
Oh – you’ve been there too?
Yep. We all have. But here’s the thing. I know the sun will rise because I’ve seen it happen day in and day out for my entire life. Let’s call that experiential faith. And I’ve experienced the sustaining promises of God – also for my entire life. So, that’s experiential faith too. But sometimes I, we, walk through things we’ve not experienced before.
I have to trust that all of God’s promises are true, whether I’ve experienced them or not. That’s because the character of God is true, unchanging, and he will never fail. Whether he comes through in a manner I know, or whether he wants to surprise me by doing it in a new way, makes no difference. I don’t have to know how he will do it; I just need to know that he will, and remind my heart that he will so it can believe.
I found this really insightful article by Joel Ryan when grabbing the link for Psalm 30:5: ” . . . weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (KJV) It’s stated as fact, a promise. Sometimes I can get busy with the routines of the morning and look up long after the sun has revealed itself before I consciously realize or acknowledge it’s there. That’s just like when I pray and don’t realize my prayer has been answered until I look up and see that the thing I was worried about or needed is no longer an issue. One thing I know is that nothing in life ever stays the same. Seasons of the night may even feel unending, but no, there is always the promise of a sunrise.
Each sunrise is different. Whether almost imperceptibly different or dramatically different, we know that no matter what, the promise of a sunrise will be seen. Similarly, every dawn is a new opportunity for God to prove himself faithful. No day, no matter how routine, is the same as the one before it. There are always new opportunities to trust in a living God whose promises never fail. We just need to reposition ourselves sometimes, to take a look from the right perspective.
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