But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
And He answered me from His
holy hill.
I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord
Sustained me.
Psalm 3:4-5
Here lately I've been waking up early to watch the sun rise because sometimes I simply need to be reminded that Christ is my sustainer. There are periods in life when I know that I am being completely self absorbed and allow my mind to become so anxious, stressed, or entertained by things that are fleeting. And Christ by His sweet love and mighty power gives me the gift of something that I so often take for-granted, a sun rise. He, by His sweet grace and mercy, reminds this silly person who wants to worry or be distracted and tells her that all she needs to do is to sit back and feel Him constantly at work around her. And this has been blowing my mind!
It's hard to think that while God is sustaining the cosmic universe, while He throws gas and dust into the cosmos and creates some of the most beautiful works of art you will ever set your eyes on called nebulae, while He sustains every wave the ocean casts upon the shore, and every cloud that drifts through the sky, every tiny little insect that scuttles on the ground or flutters through the air, and every massive whale that swims aimlessly through the ocean, that He is also sustaining my every heart beat while I drift to sleep through the night, and continues to draw every breath in and out of my lungs in the morning when I rise. And He, by His rich mercies allows me to partake in His glory and His majesty by displaying His love through something so constant, reassuring, and extraordinary as a sunrise.
The Creator created because He loves. And He loves because it is apart of His very nature. And we are indeed called to love because this Love sought us out, who were once alienated and dominated by our sins, and with big hearted, compassionate love, loved us first! This is indeed something to rejoice about. I can become so selfish and allow my mind to be so distracted with things that simply do not matter. If I could only grasp eternity and peer into the face of Christ, maybe then I would realize how finite and tiny the things of this world are. If I could only see past this body of flesh and see Him. And I find myself making this plea to God all the time but Christ, knowing my heart better than I do, gently and sweetly whispers in my ear, "Hannah, I have given you small glimpses of My glory through My creation, I remain a mystery so that I that i can sanctify you, My little creature, back to Myself, your Creator. You'll find home in my Love. Look and see that I love you." And this is when I gaze into the morning sky and can take what feels like the first fresh breath of air to ever be circulated through my lungs. I feel His peace. And my restless mind is still.
Christ is perfect. He is the only Thing that we can cling to that will never leave, change, or forsake us. He has given us the unspeakable beauty of a sunrise so that we might remember the risen Son. We are forgiven and get to partake in this Love. Praise God. May we always remember this love and fill our speech, thoughts, and hearts with His Words. May we see the world with the same compassionate eyes that He so lovingly graces us with. Whether is it in 11 different countries or to our estranged neighbors. May we always remember to love beyond ourselves.
Yeah!
