When the sun is shining brightly with few clouds in the sky, I rarely even notice the sun or the sky. But when the sun breaks through the darkness at dawn or fades into darkness at sunset, lighting up the sky with brilliant colors, I am struck in awe at the glorious display of God's splendor. When it rains, I eagerly await the beautiful rainbow that follows, a symbol of hope and of God's faithfulness. When a dark cloud moves in front of the sun, momentarily darkening the sky as in this photo I just took, I am once again moved into a place of awe and wonder as I see the rays of light and hope spilling out all around the clouds, reminding us that God's light still shines even when dark and stormy trials seem to come between us.
We do not really appreciate God's light until we face the world's darkness. We don't run toward His goodness until we are confronted with evil. We can't fully know His joy until we've experienced His sorrow. We can't receive His forgiveness until we've acknowledged our own sin. So let us praise Him for every trial that reveals His glory, strengthens our faith, and draws us closer to Him.
"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (1 John 1:4-5)
