APRILREVELATION 22

SCREAMING DURING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.- REVELATION 22:5

My initial location to view the solar eclipse last week was going to be covered in clouds, so I decided to drive in a different direction towards a region where clear skies were forecast. A friend in that area welcomed us to join her there. So my wife, another friend, and I set off, hoping for the best in our aim to witness the totality.

We held our eclipse glasses to our eyes to see the slowly dwindling crescent of the sun. It was so odd to see the shape of the sun changing in a way that we normally only see with the moon. Eventually the sliver disappeared and totality began. All the cars on the road went quiet as everybody focused on the sky.

The experience was truly epic. The ring of fire was incredible! I saw the swirling gasses of plasma streaming and flowing outward from the dark circular centre. Streetlights came on across the dim neighbourhood. We could see the colours of sunset across the whole horizon all around us. The air even got cool.

My wife and friends were totally amused when I started unconsciously yelping and screaming when totality began. I was absolutely freaking out. Me, the person who rarely lets out any emotion or reactions, the person who rarely has his mind blown. But seeing the ring of fire with my naked eyes was inexplicably overwhelming.

It took me a while to process my emotions and reactions, to identify the emotions and distill them into thoughts and reflections. I realized I was shouting and screaming in a mixture of awe, fear, uncertainty, delight, and stress. The awe is easy to attribute – the view of the eclipse was amazing. The stress was hilariously obvious also: I was trying to capture the event with three cameras in addition to seeing it with my naked eyes. And the delight of enjoying this rare phenomenon with my wife and friends was not hard to identify.

The fear and uncertainty took longer to put into words. How could I know with full confidence that the scientists and experts were trustworthy enough that I could take off my eclipse glasses during totality without risking damage to my eyes? Was I going to see the eclipse only to lose my eyesight? How would I know when I should put the eclipse glasses back on? What if I put them back on too late?

The feeling was like plummeting down the first descent of a roller-coaster for the first time. Or going way too fast on a bicycle down a steep rugged trail. Or approaching weightlessness swinging as a kid. Or standing on the shore of the ocean with powerful waves thundering all around.

It all made me think of how Moses on Mount Sinai may have felt when God allowed him to have a glimpse of his glory. The moon during the eclipse was like a veil shielding us from the power of the sun to allow us to see some of its glory with our eyes. I understood that I could not stare at the full glory of the face of God directly and still live (Exodus 33:20).

The diamond appeared on the ring of fire and we quickly put our eclipse glasses back on. The eerie light of the returning sunlight was fascinating and the remainder of the partial eclipse passed quickly as we packed up and began to drive home. Now that the experience has passed, it has caused me to reevaluate and cherish in a new way the warmth, radiance, and glimpses of God that I experience through each relationship I encounter, each person created in the image of God and worth infinitely more than the celestial bodies. I also meditate on the greater reality, the greatest expectation of the coming day when there will be no need for the light of a lamp or the sun, and the Lord will be our light (Revelation 22:5).

Heavenly Father, the true Light of the World, thank you for glimpses of your glory, in the beauty you have created, and especially in people, each one made in your image. Thank you for the moments shared, both the rare and the common, that remind me that you are still more than I currently understand. When things seem dark, or difficult, please remind me of the coming day when you will be our light, and we will see you face to face. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

An Impactful Prayer

We know our requests align with God’s will when they come directly from Scripture.

Colossians 1:1-9

Today’s passage includes a life-changing prayer, written by Paul to the believers at Colossae. Here’s what makes this prayer so powerful: Every request is in agreement with God’s will.

In verse 9, Paul asked that the Colossians be filled with knowledge of what the Father desires from His children. The way this happens is by spending time with God—talking with Him, reading His Word, and seeking His will. It includes His general purposes for all believers—such as loving Him and people (Luke 10:27)—as well as His specific plan for each one of us (Ephesians 2:10).

Paul knew that to apply what we learn, we need insight and clarity, which come from the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). So he asked God to give the believers at Colossae spiritual wisdom and understanding. But this is also a request we can make for those who don’t yet know Christ. After all, it’s not God’s desire for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9), and people need spiritual understanding in order to come to faith.

Our heavenly Father has promised that those who pray in agreement with His purposes will receive what they ask. Therefore, it is important to start by discovering what His plans are. Try incorporating scriptural prayers—like the one from today’s passage—into your conversations with the Lord.

Center Our Desires

We wish to see Jesus.

John 12:21

The constant cry of the world is, “Who will show us any good?” They seek satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the quickened sinner knows of only one good. “I wish I knew where I might find Him!” When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could lay a fortune before him he would say, “Take it away: I want to find Him.”

It is a blessed thing for a man when he has brought his desires into focus, so that they all center in one object. When he has fifty different desires, his heart resembles a stagnant pool spreading out into a marsh, breeding disease; but when all his desires are channeled in one direction, his heart becomes like a river of pure water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields.

Happy is he who has one desire, if that one desire is set on Christ, though it may not yet have been realized. When a soul desires Jesus, it is a sure indication of divine work within. Such a man will never be content with mere externals. He will say, “I want Christ; I must have Him—mere ordinances are of no use to me. I want Himself; do not offer me these; you offer me the empty pitcher, while I am dying of thirst; give me water or I die. Jesus is my soul’s desire. I wish to see Jesus!”

Is this your condition, my reader, at this moment? Have you only one desire, and is that for Christ? Then you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. Have you only one wish in your heart, and is it that you may be washed from all your sins in Jesus’ blood? Can you really say, “I would give all I have to be a Christian. I would give up everything I have and hope for, in order to know that I have an interest in Christ”? Then, despite all your fears, be encouraged—the Lord loves you, and you will come out into daylight soon and rejoice in the liberty with which Christ makes you free.