By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host. Psalm33:6 (ESV)
In less than two weeks, the path of the total solar eclipse of August 2017 will pass very close to where I live. I have been looking into how and where to view it, and how cool it is to see this event that doesn’t happen very often.
As I have delved into it, I have been remembering the One who created the sun and the moon. As their Creator, He has control over them. He wrote the laws of nature that govern them. As their author, God can manipulate those laws with miraculous results.
I thought of two times that this happened in the bible: Joshua 10 and 2 Kings 20.
Joshua’s Story
Let’s set the scene for Joshua 10: Joshua and the children of Israel are on a quest from the Lord to take the land God has promised them. The walls of Jericho have come tumbling down (a miracle in itself!). The city of Ai has been conquered and destroyed. All the Amorite kings of the surrounding area started getting really, really nervous. Kind of understandable, don’t you think?! They all banded together to attack Joshua and the Israelites. Yikes! All those people united together with one purpose: destroy God’s people. But God gave Joshua a promise:
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” Joshua 10:8 (ESV)
God caused the enemies of Israel to panic. Then He caused it to hail on them. Then he stopped the sun in its tracks. The moon was halted. God created extra time for Joshua and Israel to win the war. A heavenly miracle. A miracle of victory over defeat.
At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Joshua 10:12-13 (ESV)
Hezekiah’s Story
Something a little different happened in Hezekiah’s life. Hezekiah gets sick and is dying. He cries out to the Lord, reminding God of his faithfulness. The prophet Isaiah tells him that God will heal him and extend his life for fifteen more years. Hezekiah wants a sign. God sends a miracle for a sign. God literally turns back time. He makes Hezekiah’s shadow go back ten steps. A miracle of time. A miracle of healing. A miracle of life restored.
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?” And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.” And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:8-11 (ESV)
Wow! Two miracles by the God who created the sun and moon. The One who rules over them and authored the laws of nature. He shows His love for His people.
To him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever
Psalm 136:7-9 (ESV)
The God who rules the sun and moon is on my side. And your side.
Action Step: Let’s take this week to open our eyes to the greatness of God that surrounds us is everyday life. Whether you are in the path of the eclipse or not, creation declares the glory of God everyday. Simple observations of the goodness and greatness of God all throughout everyday build our faith exponentially.
Dear God, increase my trust in You. Build my faith to see Your truth in my daily life. Enlarge my view of You to see You as You truly are and not put You in a box of human abilities. Where I am limited, You are limitless. In Jesus’ name, amen.