Picture of the day - March 20, 2008

The amazing beauty of a sunrise

In Genesis 1:3, God said "Let there be light", and ever since that instant in time the sun has risen each and every morning, brightening our days and allowing us to live our lives and enjoy the beauty of His creations. The setting sun tends to capture the attention of photographers most often, but there is something about watching that great ball of fire slip into view over the horizon early each morning that lifts our spirits and prepares us for the day ahead. When the Creator was implementing His "plan" for the cosmos, He could have simply placed the sun directly above the earth, a static fixture that never moved, rose or set. But in His infinite wisdom He placed our world in orbit around it, creating a spectacular illusion that the earth was sitting still while the sun moved around it - an arrangement that is in many ways like our human lives... To us, it often seems that we are the center of the universe, with God sitting off somewhere on the sidelines just waiting to come "running" whenever we need His help in getting out of yet another "jam". But like the sun "moving" across the sky, this is simply an illusion. You see, God Himself is the center of all creation, and its only reason for existing in the first place. Each one of us is but a tiny speck of dust scurrying about on the surface of a single planet among billions; our sun just one of the billions of stars that He spoke into existence on that eventful day we read about in Genesis. This realization sort of puts everything into perspective, allowing us to appreciate the greatness of our all-powerful Creator and Lord without even coming close to being able to comprehend it. Our God is a mighty God who could easily extinguish the nuclear fires of a billion suns with a single word, yet He allows them to burn on for our benefit and enjoyment. And He allows our very own sun - from our perspective the most important star in the universe - to rise each and every morning to light our days and give us the ability to live and enjoy the lives which He alone has given us. What a mighty, generous and loving God we serve!   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"