By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
-Photo by Colby Mike
As I sat in my office earlier today (Aug. 21) I could not help but think how funny it would be if God looked down from heaven and decided to not allow the total eclipse to happen.
He could have stopped it had He chosen, but He allowed it to happen.
The hoopla surrounding this eclipse has amazed me. While they don’t happen often, total solar eclipses are not uncommon.
I understand why non-Christians are so excited. They don’t see the eclipse from the perspective that God made it happen. As a result, they are amazed. Man may have mapped the eclipse and could predict that it was going to occur, but, ultimately, God allowed the moon to pass in front of the sun.
And, I also understand why Christians are excited. Christians know (or at least I hope they do) that the eclipse provided an opportunity for the world to know that a Higher Being had to create the universe in order for this to happen. It is far too complicated to “just occur.” As Christians, we know that Higher Being is the one and only true God who sent his Son to the world so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but will have everlasting life (see John 3:16).
Still, the hoopla and the T-shirts and other eclipse memorabilia are astounding.
Christians should not be astonished that an eclipse took place today. We see God’s handiwork in creation every single day when the sun comes up in the morning and when it sets in the evening. We see the moon and stars every night. We don’t need a “special event” to be reminded that God is the creator of the universe. Nehemiah 9:6 (HCSB) reminds us: “You alone are the Lord. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them. You gave life to all of them, and the heavenly host worships You.”
Hopefully, many Christians, as they viewed the eclipse with non-believers, had an opportunity to share with others about God and His glory.
As the traffic lines thin and people reflect on what they saw, my prayer is that everyone will “be amazed at what God has done.”
