Sunrise Moment
It's not every morning that you get to watch the sun rise. A couple of days ago, I met some friends out at Pinnacle Mountain a little after 6:00 in the morning for an early morning hike. I bundled up in my sweats and hat, ready to get climbing so my body would warm up and only my nose would stay chilled as I breathed the December air in and out. My breath looked like smoke in the beam of my headlamp.
It was a good thing we didn't have to be follow any quiet-hour guidelines because we laughed and talked all the way. We enjoyed each other's company so much that we lost the trail and never found it again. "Well, when in doubt, just keep going up."
We basically bushwhacked up the north side of Pinnacle mountain, not realizing where we were going to come out until we reached the top. Within five minutes, the bright orange sun peeked over the top of the horizon, instantly flooding our little world with light and warmth. "Perfect timing."
I love mountaintop experiences, even if it is only a few hundred feet at the top of Pinnacle Mountain. Plus, it is not every morning that you get to watch the sunrise. Sunrises remind of early mornings in Nicaragua a few summers back, when I would watch the sun rise over the moutains of Jinotega every morning. I would bring my Bible to my little holy place on the roof, and I would talk to Jesus as the sun brought new mercies every morning to Nicaragua. Sunrises fill me with hope and anticipation. Something about watching the sun come up makes me feel like I can face the day with courage and confidence, that it is going to be a good day, that every breath means something and is worth something. Sunrises remind me of God's faithfulness to bring light and life to every day, to bring seasons to pass, to bring promises to fruition.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalm 84:11
As I watched the sun rise over Little Rock on that cold December morning, I knew my Lord God as a sun and shield. With my friends laughing and joking in the background, I knew that He bestows favor and honor and withholds no good thing from those that love Him and walk blamelessly. And I was sure that His mercies were new and that I had strength and confidence to face whatever the day would bring.
In that same Psalm is one of my all-time favorite verses:
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
On that mountaintop as the sun shed light and warmth on my face and friends and life, my heart whispered this verse, which is so very precious to me. Truly, better is one moment in God's presence than a lifetime anywhere else.
It was a good thing we didn't have to be follow any quiet-hour guidelines because we laughed and talked all the way. We enjoyed each other's company so much that we lost the trail and never found it again. "Well, when in doubt, just keep going up."
We basically bushwhacked up the north side of Pinnacle mountain, not realizing where we were going to come out until we reached the top. Within five minutes, the bright orange sun peeked over the top of the horizon, instantly flooding our little world with light and warmth. "Perfect timing."
I love mountaintop experiences, even if it is only a few hundred feet at the top of Pinnacle Mountain. Plus, it is not every morning that you get to watch the sunrise. Sunrises remind of early mornings in Nicaragua a few summers back, when I would watch the sun rise over the moutains of Jinotega every morning. I would bring my Bible to my little holy place on the roof, and I would talk to Jesus as the sun brought new mercies every morning to Nicaragua. Sunrises fill me with hope and anticipation. Something about watching the sun come up makes me feel like I can face the day with courage and confidence, that it is going to be a good day, that every breath means something and is worth something. Sunrises remind me of God's faithfulness to bring light and life to every day, to bring seasons to pass, to bring promises to fruition.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalm 84:11
As I watched the sun rise over Little Rock on that cold December morning, I knew my Lord God as a sun and shield. With my friends laughing and joking in the background, I knew that He bestows favor and honor and withholds no good thing from those that love Him and walk blamelessly. And I was sure that His mercies were new and that I had strength and confidence to face whatever the day would bring.
In that same Psalm is one of my all-time favorite verses:
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
On that mountaintop as the sun shed light and warmth on my face and friends and life, my heart whispered this verse, which is so very precious to me. Truly, better is one moment in God's presence than a lifetime anywhere else.
Comments
Post a Comment