Experiencing The Joy Of Creation
I stood in my front yard, looked toward the sky, and anticipated the rare opportunity to witness the Great American Solar Eclipse. Perhaps, like so many others, you too waited and watched for this “once in a lifetime” event.
Something happened however, that I had not expected. As the moon crossed between the earth and the sun, my senses became heightened. I suddendly became aware of a myriad of changes that took place as darkness fell upon the earth around me.
While most people looked toward the sky,
the birds found trees where they could roost.
Crickets began to chirp.
Bats came out thinking it was night.
Chickens went into their coops, as they followed their normal evening pattern of behavior.
I sensed the temperature quickly change.
Then, as the moon continued its course, the silence of the waning darkness was broken as a rooster crowed. Soon I heard the birds singing as they ushered in what they considered a new day.
As I witnessed the eclipse and was drawn into all that was taking place around me, my thoughts went back to Creation. From chaos to order, from nothingness to life; I realized what I encountered in those few brief minutes, standing in my front yard, was set in motion by the very words of God. Suddenly the awe and holiness of it all flooded my heart and soul.
What a gift God gave to humanity when he ordered the universe! For me, this day held within it an extremely extraordinary encounter with God. Like the eclipse, the birds and bats, chickens and roosters, God’s story reached from the heavenly realm, down to the very blades of grass upon which I stood. All I could do is send forth my praise.
I wonder, what were your thoughts as you witnessed this event?
Did the joy of what you witnessed take you to a holy place?
Here is God’s recorded story from Genesis 1 (NIV):
"1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day …
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.”
There were many more things God ordered in Creation - but for this one day, as the moon blocked out the light of the sun, God’s glory and love for humanity brought joy beyond measure!