The eastern sky is filled with shades of pink ranging from very light high overhead to medium pink and gently blending toward the horizon. The colors change constantly. Then, in an instant, a bright orange ball of color shows itself on the horizon. The earth is instantly filled with a bright light and a new day is upon us. The wonder of each new day filled with the beauty of creation is a source of strength for us as we seek to glorify God in it.

Genesis 1:14-19 describes the creation of the sun on the fourth day. Although light itself was created on the first day the formation of the sun which gives our earth light is not present until that fourth day. The light bearers; namely sun, moon, and stars; were created to hold the light that was present from the very beginning. Light was needed to produce heat so that the trees and herbs created on the third day could exist. Light is also a picture of God as is seen in I John 1:5, “This is then the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” There is no life apart from light, whether it be the plants’ need for light from the sun or God’s peoples’ need for His spiritual light to maintain their spiritual lives. Our inner light is a gift of God from which we receive knowledge, as seen in II Corinthians 4:6, “For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” God is light from the beginning and uses light on this earth to sustain life. The earthly sun, moon, and stars regulate our days and seasons because God is a God of order. Time on this earth is regulated by the sun rising and setting, or the earth’s rotation to be specific. These things are also under God’s control, and He has power to change them when He sees fit. We are given examples of this in Joshua 10:12-14 when the sun stood still till the battle was won, and again in Isaiah 38:8 when God moved the sun back 10 degrees as a sign to king Hezekiah. God commands the rotation of the earth and the maintenance of the seasons constantly moment by moment. May we ever stand amazed by this.

Light, even as it is present at the beginning of time, is a direct opposite of darkness. God uses light to reveal Himself in a world that fell in Adam into wickedness. This light bears witness of God to all the world that none may be without excuse. The light shines in a wicked world through the creation and through the witness of God’s people. Yet, the reprobate can not come to the light as seen in John 1:5 “and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Each new day dawns on this earth as God causes it to, and we too are renewed with each day. God puts a new spirit in us, and we must be reminded of it moment by moment. The beauty of God’s creation is seen by the light of day or the stars as they illuminate the night. The light of sun remains present in the night by its reflection on the moon which adds to our light at night. As the light is never absent from this earth, so also is God always present in the hearts of His people. Even the wicked of this world can not deny the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. Yet, we must always remember to give God the glory for this wonder.

In each new day we have a responsibility to praise God in all we do. It is a comfort that each day we can seek forgiveness of our sins from God, and each morn begin anew to serve Him. Creation continually reminds us of God and may each sunrise and sunset we witness remind us of His faithfulness.

May we daily seek God and recommit ourselves to His way. God grants us the grace to seek Him that some day we may live in the everlasting light of God in heaven. This is foretold in Isaiah 60: 19-20. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of they mourning shall be ended.” ❖