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Christian Perspectives: Does the Sun Stop Shining?

February 8, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Reverend Barbara Moulton

 

As I sit at my desk at home today, I look out my window and see blue sky and sunshine.

Even though it is cold, my spirits are lighter and my mind is clearer because it is a wonderful change.

For more than a week, our area was shadowed in gray fog and overcast skies.

It was a topic of conversation for many people I met.

I was reminded of the quotation that they say was found scratched in a wall at Auschwitz.

 

“I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent.”

 

I understand completely what the anonymous writer was trying to say. We know that even when things are darkest, it doesn’t mean that the sun has ceased to exist.

Even when God is silent, He still is I AM.

And yet, as I think about last week, I am conscious that the sun never stopped shining. If it had, then there would have been no separation of day and night across the whole globe. If it had, then life would have quickly ceased to exist. The sun was shining even when we could not point to the ball of light in the sky. If I could have hopped in an airplane and ascended above the clouds, I would have seen that the sun was just as bright as ever.

I believe the sun exists, even when sunshine is obscured by fog and clouds. Daylight is still there as evidence of the sunshine. We could not see the sunshine but we could see the light.

Similarly, God is never silent. Yes, there are times in our spiritual journeys that the clouds roll back and we seem to hear the voice of God with clarity.

We are confident that we are hearing from Him and we move forward in confidence.

Other times we are not so sure. We pray, but we feel like our prayers bounce off those clouds.  We long to hear from Him but there is only silence.

Or is there?

Just as daylight tells us that the sun is shining, so the presence of God all around us reminds us that God is still speaking.  The fact that we are still living and trusting is evidence that God is not silent.

Almost seventeen years ago, my husband and I had a crushing disappointment in our lives. For a time, it seemed to me, that God was silent. There were no answers to my prayers.

Yet, as I continued to move forward and trust that God was with us, He spoke His plan for us in quiet ways. And in the right season, the answer that came for our family was far beyond anything we could have hoped from.

God was not really silent. He was speaking. I had only to intentionally seek His presence.

 

Psalm 95:6-7

Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice…

 

I believe the sun is always shining. I believe God is always speaking. On cloudy days, intentionally become aware of the light. When God seems silent, intentionally seek His presence.

 

Comments?  Would love to hear from you.

graceandjoy@icloud.com

         

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