Some of you regular followers, who know me well, might remember that the ocean and beach is another Holy Place for me. Something that had its humble beginnings when I was a child and my family would go to Wildwood, NJ for vacation.
Our family vacation this year was supposed to be at the beach in Atlantic City, NJ, for somewhere different to explore and since it was a little closer for us, but due to a change of plans this year at the last minute our “family” vacation turned into a stay-cation at home with only one child instead of three.
So I was very fortunate that a friend of mine really wanted to go to a beach and invited me to go along here at the end of September! It was a quick trip for three nights but a welcome time away to be blessed soaking up God’s Presence. It was actually the first time I have been to a beach during the non-prime summer season.
The definite fewer tourists was great but the sad part is that all of the piers and most of the shops on the boardwalk were actually closed. It appears that maybe they are open more Thurs – Sat when there are more “special” events going on. We were there Sun – Weds so even finding a nice seafood place to eat at was difficult!
In fact, we walked about 50 minutes one way on the boardwalk the one night to eat at a restaurant that is open year round for the three meals and was open for breakfast that morning. We got all the way there to find they were closed for dinner! 😢 Thankfully a little Spanish restaurant near there stayed open until 8 pm to serve us some gyros!
Needless to say, for those that know me best, you know my further disappointment in seeing the three Dairy Queen and Dunkin Donut places on the boardwalk were NOT open at all!! Neither establishment had a place remotely close by off the boardwalk. We made up for those deficients on our way home! 🙂
You probably know how I love sunsets too. The first evening the sunset was wonderful to experience as always!
Well, this trip I decided to also try experiencing a sunrise….which even turned into two sunrises! I figured I had to take advantage since being late summer the sunrise time would be the latest in the morning since I am more of a night owl not an early riser. 😉
It was wonderful that the first morning it was a clear morning on the horizon so I was able to just observe the sunrise from the hotel’s balcony.
A feeling of expectation came over me as I waited for the display of God’s beautiful masterpiece to rise. The whole day was ahead waiting to see what special blessings from above it held; the ways I could praise Him from morning til night. How each interaction is intricately woven in God’s master plan; whose life could I touch and how would He use others to touch my life.
It was so quiet and still as I first observed the skyline display the magnificent colors and then the sun peeking out little by little as it moved up the horizon and far into the sky spreading to reflect and glisten on the ocean waters.
The thought of “From the rising of the sun” came to mind so when I returned later I looked up that verse:
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. –Psalm 113:3 (NIV)
I thought what a beautiful and perfect verse and way to the start the day. Yes, we need to praise His name from the rising of the sun until it sets…and even during the night! 😉
It was a beautiful way to start the day…in His Presence….seeing His powerful hand in creation…His dominion in all of this world.
The second day it was a little disappointing at first to see there was a band of clouds along the horizon but eventually those clouds ended.
Seeing those clouds though made me think of the parallel with our lives….God, the Light, is with us even during the dark, cloudy times. What is even more powerful is that the Light always shines through the darkness! Yes, Light wins, my friend!
What is so lovely to see is how after the sun rises at the ocean it can be seen glistening and spreading to larger areas on the ocean waters.
Isn’t that like when Christ is in us? Don’t we radiate that to others spreading to more and more people?
It was interesting to me to observe that the morning that had the clouds on the horizon before the sun appeared, the sunset was the exact way that evening!
The sun had to pass through the darker clouds that night before it appeared so gloriously in the sky as it set. Again, I thought that same thought as in the morning….the sun/light always triumphs over the darkness!
This week I pray that your life may reflect the different facets of the sun~~
Each day may you rise to shine His beauty that is within you to this world
Shine through the darkness, the clouds in this world, to shine His Light
Wait patiently in expectation of how the Lord will use you to bless others lives
Be excited to see how He uses people to encourage your faith journey each day
Take time to be still in His Presence
May your life radiate His love, goodness, grace, mercy
May the Christ in you spread to all you encounter
Soak up the Son’s Peace
Reflect the Son’s radiance to all
Praise the Lord in everything from the rising of the sun to its setting (& during the night)
When evening comes, refresh your body and soul with spending time resting with the Son!
I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. –Psalm 34:1 (NLT)
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” –Psalm 46:10 (ESV)
In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the LORD. –Isaiah 59:19 (NLT)
Keep your eyes on the LORD! You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. –Psalm 34:5 (CEV)
How wonderfully timely our God is!!! The irony of that scripture verse you shared from Psalm 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”—this was etched in a stone bench a few weeks back on a men’s retreat that I went to. WOW! I even took a photo of it. And I just so happened to go to a beach which was on a lake, but unfortunately I didn’t get to see a sunset or even a sunrise due to timing. But, I can say I watched God break through a wall of fog and then build it back up again within a 20 minute period. What an amazing sight that was, although it was a tad chilly in that part of the early morning, lol. But, we were in the mountains after all. A lake on a mountain with mountains in the background; now there’s an amazing and beautiful sight of His creation. So, yes, God used you to confirm a verse and also brought back a very recent memory. Hallelujah!
“The Son’s Reflection.” That’s what went through my head as soon as I read the title “Sun’s Reflection”. Christ illuminates His light into our lives so that we can in turn be His light to others. This is the sort of reflection we can all aspire to be. As a matter of fact Jesus Himself expresses the importance of letting our light shine.
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Note that this particular parable of Jesus is highlighted 3 times. The other 2 places are found in Mark 4:21-23 and Luke 8:16-18. There’s not one person that can see a light that is hidden. In other words, we shouldn’t be covering up our light just to fit in with the crowd. So what if we stand out as “different” or get labeled as “weird”. We’re supposed to be different. And the bible clearly indicates we are a “peculiar” people. (1 Peter 2:9 KJV) Just remember this: Light not only shines into the darkness; LIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE DARKNESS.
Getting lost in the crowd means we lose our identity in the lies of what everyone else thinks or says we need to be or should be. Getting lost in Jesus means we truly find our identity in the truth of who He says we are in Him.
While the world promises the “spot light”, the spot light ultimately fades away and loses its sparkle. God promises the Son’s light and He never fades away, but continues to shine on for eternity.
The “spotlights” of this world will never last because the bulbs are invented in a world of decay. (Someone will have to change out the bulb and even then the light won’t last for an eternity.) The Son’s light WILL ALWAYS last, because GOD IS LIGHT AND IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. (1 John 1:5)
God said “Let there be light.”.(Genesis 1:3) As in, He spoke it into existence and is the very essence of Light. Even Jesus refers to Himself as the light of the world in John 8:12 and He also states that “those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
So, the Son’s Reflection is a mirror image of who Christ is in us and is a shining example to those around us. It’s impossible to walk in the darkness when we have the light. There could be a completely dark room, but the moment that a flashlight gets turned on is the very moment that parts of the room become illuminated. When it is dark outside, it’s not as easy to determine what is in front of us and without the proper way to determine where we are going, we could very well stumble or trip and fall. Since we are to be the light of the world, we can be the shining example to others of the safest direction to be headed in.
Another revelation came to me as I really thought this over and meditated on being in the Son. When we stay in the actual Sun, there’s such thing as too much as this can cause sunburn and has been claimed to bring other various ailments like heat stroke. On the flip side of it is “staying in the SON”. As we stay in Jesus the Son on a consistent basis, we get rejuvenated, revived and refreshed. There’s no such thing as too much of the Son, because on a personal note, I find that I can never get enough and I always want more of Him. Some might ask: why is that? Well, it’s quite simply the fact that in and of my “self” (without Christ in me) there’s nothing good in me, because my “self” is utterly selfish.
More of the Son means that I’m exhibiting attributes that are MORE LIKE HIM and less like my “self”. However, if I drift away from the true source of light, then I will not grow and darkness will trickle in, causing the light to fade. Much in the same way that a most plants/trees need direct sunlight to flourish, we too need to have DIRECT SON LIGHT to have life more abundantly.
Christ is the only source of everlasting light, life, love and liberty. The Son’s Reflection can only be obtained by soaking up His rays. And He desires that we spend more time in Him. More time in Him means that there’s less time to be in “self”. As John the Baptist said: “He must increase, I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Now there’s an extremely valid statement indeed.
God also wants us to draw closer to Him. As James puts it: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double minded.” (James 4:8) The Son’s light will shine upon those areas we need to bring to Him and His Word will cleanse us from anything that is impure in His sight.
The closer we are to the Son, the closer we are to a vibrant life. God desires to have His light shining in us and through us, so anything that would hinder this, He is going to expose. In closing, let us bask in the rays of the Son. For ALL that is good and full of radiant light and pure love consists of being IN HIM. Let us also not hide this light, but allow it to be a beacon of hope to others. After all, Christ shared His light with us, not for us to keep it all to ourselves, but to share it with others, so that they too may have hope.
May the Lord bless you as you read this and may He shine His glorious light in you and through you to those in need. To Him be ALL Honor, Glory and Praise. Shalom.
How I love to see God’s perfect timing and confirmation once again to encourage my faith journey, Christopher! Thank you so very much for sharing that….God is so amazing; only He can make these things happen! 🙂 And, yes, thank you for sharing the insights on the many Bible verses pointing out about the light in the darkness! They are spot on and perfect to support these thoughts. It is so special to see how the Lord is using these simple thoughts to bless your walk with Him and your sharings are doing the same in my life. Thanks for reflecting and shining His Light in my life! Blessings and keep shining for Him, my friend!
Absolutely beautiful reflections. Thank you for sharing such faithful thoughts. ✌🙏💚
Thanks so much for faithfully reading and for sharing, Pat. I am glad your faith walk is being encouraged through reading. I appreciate you! God bless.