The authority of God seen through the 2017 total eclipse.
We gathered on the front steps, anticipation filling the air. The peak of the total eclipse was only minutes away — the awe of this historical moment quieted each of us with amazement. The moon’s shadow moved slowly over the ridge covering the afternoon with darkness.
A holy hush fell over our mountain — stillness like I’ve never known before. Ominous. Commanding. A stillness that permeated the heart and soul and mind.
And through the silence, the Lord spoke. His voice came to me like a roar — not gentle — a roar commanding the earth to be still and remember that He alone is God.
Birds stopped their chatter. A deer appeared as a statue on the forest’s edge. And we held our breath with jaws dropping and eyes widening as darkness covered the earth in the middle of a summer’s afternoon.
It was as if the breath of His Spirit had ceased so that we, and all of creation, would pay attention to His authority.
His authority? Yes! His authority that mankind seems determined to strip away from every corner of the earth. He is Creator God. Omniscient. Omnipresent. Lord and Ruler of all.
And yet there is a constant battle to remove any remembrance of our God from modern-day culture.
Perhaps that explains the timing of this total eclipse.
Perhaps Almighty God wanted to get the attention of His Creation to remind us He is more than a steeple on a white clapboard church.
He is God.
And God alone.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
9 and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10 For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?” ~ Job 38:4-13, NLT
Love this so much, Nan. I had such awe-inspiring moments with the Lord during the eclipse as well. Enjoyed how you beautifully penned this. Blessings!
Thank you for your kind words, Karen. For quite awhile now I’ve been aware of how the air stills, usually right before a storm, but this was SO different. I still get chills when I think of it. What an amazing sight and gift the Lord gave us that day.
This is beautiful and well written. Thank you for the song as well. God’s creation is a truly beautiful gift to us.
You’re so welcome Marcie Girl. I must have listened to that song a dozen times yesterday while I wrote this post. It has always been one of my favorites.