"The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1 NIV)
Coming home from midweek church meetings this time of year have become a delight for Rob and I. We say our goodbyes, lock up and quite literally drive off into the sunset. For sixteen miles, we marvel over God’s handiwork. If you’ve ever watched a sunset over the course of an evening, you know know it’s an ongoing show, not a still picture like we might suppose.
Last Wednesday, we were enjoying yet another stunning display of God’s glory on the drive west when I commented to my husband how often we miss it. Our hardie plank homes, blaring televisions and crammed calendars keep us indoors and utterly preoccupied. All the while, our loving God is putting on a spectacle just over our hearts. Far too often, we fail to look up. We edit out our opportunities to wonder and revel in the glory of God.
"Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes all over the earth, their words to then end of the world." (Psalm 19:2-4 NIV)
My husband, in his quiet, revelatory manner, spoke plainly: “Really, the sun is setting all the time. It is always sunset somewhere.” Of course, he’s correct. The glory of God is on the move across the globe. This evening bow – where the sun says goodbye to the day – it is continually happening. The glimpse we get each nightfall is limited by our geographical location, but the show goes on and on. Sunset began on that first evening in Genesis 1:3 and it has never ceased.
We must also consider the far side of the sunset; the sunrise. They are a living set of bookends, endlessly chasing each other across the earth, yet never meeting. They are sojourners who set out on a journey six thousand years prior. They have not once lapsed in their assigned task to announce God’s glory all over the earth.
We put up a porch swing this summer. My husband has been working a side job at McCoys and the porch swing was a belated anniversary gift, marking his season at the local building supply store. Most evenings we end on the swing, swaying and sitting with each other in peace. You can often find me there again as the sun comes up each morning. I love to take in the colors and the breeze as I practice my pause app. Sunrise and sunset are great twice-a-day reminders to give God glory.
Look again at these scriptures with Rob’s revelation in mind: day after “day after day… night after night”. The sunrise and sunset, along with the clouds and the stars they drag behind them, all together pour forth speech and knowledge about our awesome God. The heavens above are intentional outcries of God’s glory. He has carefully pinned His love and truth into the ever-moving marriage tent above us, hoping we might look up and revel in His majesty, creativity and kindness.
I hope you’ll take some time tonight: sit on a porch swing, step out for a walk or hop on a scooter and chase the sunset. Step into the glory-show that has been unfurling for the last six millennia. Tune your soul into the voice of the heavens shouting the glory of our living, loving God.
"For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities --His eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20 NIV)
Lord, today we are wowed anew by the revelation of unending sunrise and sunset. Your faithfulness to humanity has been on plain display for thousands of years uninterrupted. Thank You for awakening us to it. Please open our eyes to other ways by which You quietly reveal Your love for us. May we make time to notice You in all Your glory. Amen.