Last night our Nelson crew ventured outside with high expectations of seeing the Blood Moon and eclipse, but our hopes were dashed by cloud cover. My husband opened his “SkyView” app and with his phone pointed toward the sky, he was able to show us exactly where the moon was hiding. If we squinted and stretched our imaginations, we believed that we could see a dim pinkish glow in that spot, but we never saw the glory of the Blood Moon.
I have seen pictures that my friends living in the west and northeast were able to capture and I have seen some amazing pictures on TV, so I know it was indeed spectacular, but Memphis was blanketed by conditions that kept us from experiencing the joy of the moon-watching party.
This morning as I opened my daily devotional, these were the verses waiting for me to meditate on:
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1 (NLT)
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20 (NLT)
“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
The moon and the stars you set in place—
What are mere mortals that you should think about them?
Human beings that you should care for them.” “Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT)
God’s glory is all around us and as people created in the image of God, we were designed to glorify Him and give Him praise, but so often we fail to do so. We let the clouds of selfish ambition, busyness and insecurity obscure our vision. We take our eyes off of God’s glory, because we are so obsessed with ourselves.
Many times we are so burdened by the heavy weight of trials that we just don’t feel like offering the God of Glory our sacrifice of praise. We stay inside under the roof of heartaches and physical aches and don’t even make the attempt to see the spectacular glory. We are clouded by weariness and make attempts to self-soothe with artificial light sources.
No matter what our schedule or trial or physical state, our calling remains the same. We are to get up and offer praise to the God of Glory. He made this day, and whether your day is sunny or cloudy, your call is to rejoice in it.
God’s glory is spectacular and it doesn’t change. It may be hard to see because of our circumstances, but just like that blood moon last night His Glory hovers over us.
If I had been able to climb above the cloud cover, I would have seen the moon. I know it was there. I have seen it before and I also can see from the joy of others’ testimonies that it was incredible.
Dear friends, if you are having trouble seeing God’s glory, open the word. Trust the testimonies of the saints before you who witnessed it first hand. Trust in God’s truth that He is the God of glory. He displays His glory for His name’s sake… not yours. It is His name and reputation on the line. He never fails. Look up. Praise Him under the cloud cover. He melts the clouds of sin and sadness and drives the dark of doubt away. Let Him fill you will his spectacular light.
“Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!”
Henry Van Dyke 1907