The Solar Eclipse

The solar eclipse was a hot topic in the last few weeks, and many were excited this past Monday to take advantage of the rare opportunity to observe this phenomenon.

Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Psalm 148:3

                                                Source: Church Leaders Facebook Post

It is always amazing to me how people can get so excited about these type of events, but not bother to consider who is behind it all. The fact that the scientists can so accurately determine the time and the location of the eclipse points to a reliable God who has organized the galaxies in structured and predictable form. This allows man to predict when the moon would move between the earth and the sun, and it would cast its shadow on certain parts of the world. That’s just incredibly amazing to me! He is so worthy to be praised for His created order! He allows us to live with the certainty of His creation following a known pattern. 

Upon my research I found that the sun is 400 times greater than the moon. Therefore, as far as the size is concerned, there is no way that the moon can cover the sun. However, the sun is 400 times further from the earth than the moon. This explains why with our natural eyes the moon does not look that much smaller than the sun. Furthermore, since the moon is so much closer to the earth, it can cast its shadow and block the sun rays temporarily resulting in an eclipse on the earth.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

Spiritually speaking, Christians can experience a solar eclipse in their lives! We allow the issues of life to get so up close that they appear larger and more powerful than the Lord. The problems cast a shadow on our lives and take away the beautiful rays of His light that are always available to us. The Lord is all powerful, omniscient, and omnipresent. Nothing can block His glory in our lives. However, in our carnal nature, we can magnify the problem to the point of blocking our vision. 

It is our job to magnify the Lord, remind ourselves of who God is, and exalt Him for His power and His glory! His nature does not change just because we have chosen to focus on the problem. He is still capable and available to send His light, warm our hearts , and guide our paths.

On Monday, I stepped outside just to experience what was happening during the solar eclipse. During the eclipse, I noticed the following changes: the wind picked up, the skies turned gray, and the temperature dropped. Isn’t that how we feel when we begin to focus on our problems and allow them to cast a shadow of doubt and uncertainty on our faith!?

Praise God that the solar eclipses do not last long. Our eclipses do not need to last long either. Let’s magnify His name and trust Him. He is at work in our lives, and He will guide us every step of the way because He is a good and faithful Father!