NoblePurpose Blog

I rose early Saturday morning to see the sunrise at the Camp where we had attended a Christian Retreat. I enjoy getting an early start on the day and someone had recommended the lake as a particularly good spot to witness the breaking of a new day. So, I woke up at 4:30 and gathered my gear, went to the bath house and washed up. After stowing my things in the car, I walked out to the pier in the center of the lake and began looking at the horizon. I knew that sunrise was more than an hour away, but that was fine with me. The sky was filled with stars and the outlines of trees could be seen around the lake’s edge. I prayed and thanked God for His blessings, mercy, patience, and grace. I have experienced each in abundance throughout my life. Most were taken for granted, but He blessed me anyway. Standing on the pier, my inner spirit reassured me that I would see something spectacular in the sunrise. I anxiously waited for show that God would unveil through His nature.

As I looked at the stars, light could be seen through the trees. I stared for a long time, but the light did not grow any brighter. Then I realized that this was not the sunrise, but lights from the distant town. I was looking in the wrong direction. The light was coming from the North, not the East. I thought how easily we become disoriented. We look with anticipation at false hope and if we do not realize it, the real thing will come and we could miss seeing its dawning. I turned and looked to the East, but sunrise was still an hour away.

As I looked at the eastern shore of the lake, two large trees stood out from the others. I didn’t notice the fog that seemed to be growing from the water all around the pier. Eventually, I glanced around and was engulfed by fog. God’s nature was giving me another lesson. Life’s fog creeps up on us gradually and if we lose our focus on the true goal, we become disoriented and overwhelmed by the fog and friction of life. However, Jesus told us that He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the light of the world. If we focus on Him we will not become disoriented. Peter walked on the water as long as he looked at Jesus. Only when he looked at the waves around him did he begin to sink.

When I looked back at the trees on the eastern bank there appeared to be a hole cut through the fog and the sky was clear. However, it was not yet time for sunrise. I had been standing out on the pier for well over an hour and old injuries in my back began to ache, mosquitoes began to bite my neck, and my patience started to wear thin. I thought about leaving to find a cup of coffee. However, my inner voice once again asked if I was going to let my body cause me to miss the show that my God had prepared. I thought about Dallas Willard’s discussion on spiritual formation. He wrote how our fallen nature gives priority to the desires of the body, while our minds and wills conform to securing physical pleasures. However, as we yield to God’s Holy Spirit our beings are transformed to seek spiritual pleasure in accordance with God’s desires. Our physical bodies are subordinated to selfless vessels that work to satisfy God’s purpose rather than self-centered fleshly desires. So I stayed on the pier, looking through the hole in the fog to the eastern sky and waited for sunrise.

I have seen beautiful sunrises while flying across the Atlantic Ocean traveling toward Europe. I have seen the sun rise over the Pacific horizon from the beaches in Hawaii. I have seen spectacular sunrises across the plains of Texas. But this morning, I simply stared with wonder anticipating the coming sunrise on this Saturday morning.

I heard a fish jump in the lake. Crickets were chirping in the fields.  Frogs were croaking and the birds began to sing as they woke up for another day. I began to smell the water and the fresh scent in the air. I felt the cool breeze.

Suddenly the sky just became light. The clouds of the morning sky obscured the Sun as it rose over the eastern horizon. The bright ball of light and the colors of the morning sky would not be revealed this morning.  The sky just lit up  with a glow like indirect lighting turned on in a room.  All around me, I saw the handprints of God and I was greatly blessed.

In Him,
Dan

www.noblepurposeministries.org