Sunrise and God’s Glory

Mustard Seed Chronicles: Story Time with LU Grandma

I used to live by Great Sodus Bay in New York, and I have always loved Lake Ontario and going to the bay to view the lighthouses there. I would go down to the lighthouse to see the light and how the waves would crash over the lighthouse pier, but the lighthouse would stand firm. It was always a reminder of the Lord Jesus and His stability and light even in violent storms.

Years ago, we were going through a very hard time in our family. My husband had lost his job because of a back surgery, my son was in the hospital in Rochester, NY, 35 miles away fighting for his life, and my mother-in-law was in another hospital in that city as well. It fell to me to take care of everyone because I was the only one in the family that was not working outside the home. I also had two younger sons who had to get up and go to school everyday.

It was March in upstate New York and the sky had looked like a piece of blue slate for a couple of weeks. It was cold, it had been rainy. I had to make daily trips to Rochester to make sure that everyone there was taken care of while still taking care of things at home. My husband had been given a part time job at a bait shop in Sodus Point, the village on the shore of the bay.

One morning he called me after going to work and asked me to bring him something very important that he had forgotten. He had taken our car to go to work, so I had to walk over to my in-laws’ house to borrow their vehicle. After getting the two smaller ones off to school, I started the six-mile trip down to the Point.

While on my way I was crying out to the Lord much like David did when things were not going very well for him either. I was not complaining, but I cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord, I just don’t know how I’m going to keep doing all of this! I am tired, I’m kind of scared and I just need to know that You are there.”

When I got to the crest of the hill that led down to the bay I looked at the horizon. Everything was almost black. Just when I spoke my need, the Lord broke the horizon with the sun! The reflections of the sun on those black clouds and the water created the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen in my life! The sky literally looked on fire with the neon oranges, magentas, pinks, reds, and yellows. It was the whole sky that was lit up! It reflected off of the water.

I started to cry, and said, “Lord, this is the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my life!” It was like He was in the car with me and spoke to my heart. He said, “Honey, how many times have you come down to the bay and seen the sun come up on a cloudless day?”

I said, “A lot.” He replied to me, “What made today different?” I thought for a second and then said, “It’s the sun reflecting off the black clouds.” He said to me, “If I did not allow some black clouds in your life every once in awhile there would be nothing to reflect my Son’s glory either.”

That has stuck with me all these years through thick and thin, serious family sicknesses, monetary shortfall issues and trials of every kind. Every time I see a beautiful sunrise or a sunset I think of that event for me and it’s almost like the promise of the rainbow that was given to Noah.

I want to share that promise with you especially with this last year with all the changes: sickness, this virus, loss of jobs, social unrest, the election unrest. When you think of all these things that look like black clouds, please try to remember that if they weren’t there, then there’d be nothing to reflect Jesus as the Light of the World. Be encouraged that we are not in any of this alone. Our Father God is always with us. Nothing in history has ever surprised him, caught Him off guard, or made it impossible for Him to do His miracles. Trust Him in the dark times, continue to praise Him in those dark times, and see in your heart those beautiful, beautiful sunrises that are coming, and be blessed.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Your love is something so grand we have a hard time trying to fathom it sometimes. Teach us to always look for You and Your SON when those dark clouds hide the sky.

In the precious name of Jesus, I pray,

Amen.