As I turned the blinds on this winter’s morning, a glorious, breathtaking kaleidoscope of color shouted back at me. Without hesitating, I uttered the verse that stays close at hand for such dramatic moments as these:
“Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.” (Psalm 65:8 NASB)
Oh, how I love this verse! Its impact reaches way back to the days of the Jesus Revolution that took place on our university campus in the 1970’s. Never will I forget the moment I looked out the window of my dorm and beheld with fresh eyes God’s glorious ball of fire. The Holy Spirit used the Living Word to orchestrate a memorable experience for this neophyte in the faith: “Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.” Wow.
The verse traveled with me across oceans, across continents, across time zones, and across decades. In Siberia, in Croatia, in Poland, in Africa, in Asia, and even in America, the Message remained as steadfast and consistent as its Author, “Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.”
Like a declaration and a doxology all wrapped in one, these twelve words pack a profound theology. This brilliant, trumpet-like statement about God declares His power, His presence, His love for beauty, and His canopy over all the earth. Simultaneously, this verse is a sanctified whisper to remind me of His canopy over my day, even over my entire life. “Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.”
But pause to consider, one day there will come a final bright and cloudless morning when the heavens part and He descends. So, “Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,” join the chours, throw back the sash, and celebrate like you mean it! “Thou dost make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.”
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
“For me to live is Christ.” (Philippians 1:21)
Psalm 19
Malachi 4:2
2 Peter 1:19
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, and the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (James Milton Black, 1893)
