[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during November 2021]
Have you ever walked beside a large body of water at sunset? Perhaps you have been beside a calm sea or a lake whilst the sun is setting beyond the western horizon, or maybe you prefer to loiter in the moonlight with its silvery sheen contrasting with the dark water. Either way, you will have noticed the band of light that seems to be shining directly at you.
As you walk along the shore that beam tracks with you – you are its focus. Stand still and it concentrates on you; run and it keeps up. Hide behind a tree or duck behind a wall and it waits for you to reappear. Other people with you will see their own beams but you know that one beam in particular is looking directly at you.
In a small way this is an illustration of how God looks at us. You can try to move one way or the other, or try to hide but he still has his eye on you. Furthermore, God never sets below the horizon so you cannot wait out the beam either. How does knowing that God is watching affect our behaviour and our relationships?
In the Genesis account of creation we are told:
Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. [Genesis 1 v16 NIVUK]
In the immediately preceding verses we are told three of the reasons why they were created:
– to divide the day from the night;
– for signs and seasons, for days and years;
– to give light on the earth.
Here are three passages from the words of Jesus that correspond with those reasons.
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. [John 9 v4 NIVUK]
The writer of Ecclesiastes advises us: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all thy might”[1]. Are we actively engaged in our Father’s business? Are we enthusiastic about it?
There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. [Luke 21 v25 NIVUK]
Jesus was talking about the period immediately preceding his return. Can we equate climate change with those signs or was he speaking figuratively, referring instead to political turmoil and the breakdown of social norms? How do you understand those signs? Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away; how then should we relate to those campaigning to save the planet?
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:16 NIVUK]
The original Old Testament writers would not have been familiar with modern understanding of the solar system. For them, Earth was the hub of the universe; the sun, moon and stars all revolved around Earth. For us, there is a great temptation to think that we are at the centre of our own little universe. How much better it would be to ensure that our attitudes and actions give light to those around us.
[1] Ecclesiastes 9 v10.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
