Well, I watched the sun rise over the African savannah this morning.. Something that, only a few years ago, I never would have guessed I would do. It was humbling (for several reasons), revealing, and breathtaking.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things.”
Isaiah 45:5-7
I sat on the porch outside, in the morning chill, to watch the whole thing. I took so many pictures that I was called the “sun paparazzi.” I obvi didn’t want to even think about missing one second of it. The whole experience of it was incredible and humbling; and just by watching God’s creation in action, I learned more about who He is and who I’m not. Let me walk you through it.
5:45am.
Sweatshirt on, face sans make-up, and bed head hair, I anxiously grab my coffee and camera and make a bee-line for the porch. I have left my Bible and journal inside, as I anticipated only having maybe 10-15 minutes to catch the sunrise and then have plenty of time to have a decent quiet time upon returning inside. (I soon found out that this was not at all the case.) Emotions at this point, still high. Excited, enthusiastic, expectant.
5:55am.
As having originally anticipated heading back inside at this point, I am realizing that I underestimated the amount of time that this sunrise would require. And I’m okay with that. By now, I have seen the light push out the darkness and make way for a new day. Beautifully symbolic of God’s power and how, not even the greatest amount of darkness could overcome even a flicker of light. The light of God always overcomes the darkness of sin. Anyway, the sun is taking longer than I expected to make its grand appearance, but like I said, I’m alright with that.
6:05am.
The sky keeps getting lighter and lighter, yet no sun is present. I actually have to remind and convince myself that the sun, without fail, ALWAYS rises. There can be no light without a sun. I know that I am probably just being silly and that the sun will pop up at any minute now. Telling myself to shut up and be patient. Resolving that I will not have a quiet time this morning, but at least I have plenty of time to get ready, no problem.
6:15am.
30 minutes strong, and I’m going crazy. Wondering where the heck the sun is and how there is so much light without it. I literally asked one of the girls sitting inside if I had missed it. (She told me to wait for it and go talk to God about it.. I did.) My mind is deciding that there must be some cloud behind the mountains in the distance that are hiding it. That’s why I haven’t seen it yet. Must be. Getting VERY antsy and impatient because I know how frightening I look and how I have not even gotten close to getting ready to leave for the day. And regretting taking SEVERAL pictures each minute because I know how many I’ll have to sort through later.
6:27am.
I have been approaching my wit’s end because the minutes are ticking away. And all of a sudden, I see a few bright red streaks approaching. My hope is being restored, slowly at first, and then more and more as red takes over a piece of the sky. I know the sun is actually coming. Getting my camera warmed up again and actually sitting on the edge of my seat.
6:33am.
THE SUN IS ACTUALLY REAL. I see that ball of red light peek over the mountains in the distance, and I watch it rise up into the sky like a bubble approaching the water’s surface. It took all of two minutes to watch the entire sun make its way into the sky for the day. Right now, I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of it all and by the sheer fact that the sun actually, finally showed up. Because I honestly questioned and doubted it for a good 10 minutes. I am camera-happy and not even caring about having to get ready for the day. Within a matter of minutes, the sky is transformed and the light has come.
I had a lot, A LOT, of time with just me and my camera and my coffee to think about God this morning. Reflecting on the morning, I was reminded of just how small and insignificant and how narrow-seeing I am. I LITERALLY questioned that the sun would rise. Even as I saw proof that it was rising. I am blinded by my impatience and my ignorance, like a child. God, on the other hand, is even more faithful than the rising of the sun. Just as the sun can be counted on to rise each day, He will never abandon me or fail to show up in my time of need.
Not only that, but His timing is perfect. Had my timing been perfect this morning, that sun would have been in the sky by 6:01am. But I had limited vision and perspective. I couldn’t see where the sun was at that time or how quickly it would make its entrance. God knew all along though. He watched the sun as it slowly (that’s relative) entered into my piece of the sky and He knew that I simply needed to be patient and trust His promises.
“Wait on my timing” and “believe my promises” and “trust my faithfulness” were the reminders that God so sweetly delivered to me this morning on the porch. He is so good to me, and He has given me no reason to doubt, but I did anyway. I literally doubted that the sun was going to rise. But God is gracious and abounding in patience for His children. He knew that I was going to doubt, but He lovingly and patiently reassured me through the beauty of His sunrise that He is faithful. He is as faithful as the rising sun.
