As the sun rises in the morning sky, the illuminating rays reveal the majesty that surrounds us. For those of us here on the island, it may be the vastness of the ocean to the east, or the seemingly boundless marshes to the west, and the canopy of the maritime forest that also surrounds us. For those on the mainland, it is more likely to include marvels of human engineering, whether it be a magnificent home, a towering skyscraper, or infrastructure that would have been unthinkable to past generations. The daylight allows us to see the creative power of both God and man as they have shaped life on this planet.
The setting of the sun provides a vastly different perspective. The brilliance of the sun prevents us from seeing any other objects in the sky by day, so it is only when darkness rules the sky that we see how truly vast it is. And it is vast, frankly beyond the ability of nearly every mind to comprehend. Voyager 1 was launched 49 years ago, and next month it will be one light-day away from Earth, approximately 16 billion miles away and just outside of our solar system. Yet distances in space are measured in light years. If the vastness of space is nearly incomprehensible, the insignificance of man’s reach into the breadth of God’s creation is also incomprehensible.
If all we did was spend our time considering that which we can see in the daylight, we might start to think that we are really something. Now, don’t get me wrong, mankind is special. We have been made in the image of God, and the author of Hebrews declares that “You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet” (Hebrews 2:7-8 NIV). Daylight places our focus on this world, and when we see a city filled with buildings reaching to the sky, we can easily think that our own creative powers are approaching that of the Creator.
Only darkness reveals the foolishness of that thinking, providing us with the proper perspective. Darkness reveals to us the true limits of our own abilities, and if we are wise, it also shows us the unimaginable breadth of God’s power. Daytime displays the power of a single sun, while darkness allows us to see trillions of stars beyond our own solar system. The Creator has a name for every single one, just as he knows the number of hairs on your head. We just need to spend time allowing our gaze to peer beyond the world that our own hands have touched to begin to appreciate the limited nature of man and the limitless nature of God.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of our limitations, and darkness may be the place where we restore a healthy perspective. It is for that very reason that the author of Ecclesiastes tells us that it is “better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting” (Ecc 7:2). The dark times of our lives remind us of our mortality and our limitations. But the humbling effect of darkness is also meant to draw us to the One who is immortal and without limit. Our greatest works are insignificant compared to God, yet he still loves us and desires to walk with us. If it takes time in the dark to come to that realization, then bring on the night. Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron