"Thou heavenly
Brightness! Light divine! O deep within my heart now shine, And make thee there
an altar! Fill me with joy and strength to be Thy member, ever joined to thee
In love that cannot falter; Toward thee longing Doth possess me; turn and bless
me; Here in sadness Eye and heart long for thy gladness!"--O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright by Phillipp Nickolai (1827-1878)
Psalm 45:6-8
"Your throne, O God, endures forever, Justice is your royal scepter. You
love what is good And hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, Has given
you more gladness Than anyone else" (Psalm 45:6-8). "I will cause your name to be honored in
all generations; the nations of the earth will praise you forever"(Psalm
45:17).
I was looking out
the window the other morning at a sunrise and it was a beauty. One of those
where variegated pastels take over the sky with one single twinkling star
remaining from the previous night. The
star had that unique searing , pure, glimmering quality that tends to defy
accurate description. It caused me to pause and take in the simple, yet
breathtaking sight. The song, "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright"
came to mind. "Fill me with joy and
strength to be Thy member, ever joined to thee in love that cannot falter"
is how my heart, mind, and soul feel when considering the absolute and perfect
beauty not only of that morning's
sunrise, but every day--sunrises, sunsets, delicately bloomed flowers,
refreshing rains on parched ground. We
are certainly treated as the beloved and royal children of the King. Our
surroundings of nature are beyond description and compare in their design.
"Here in
sadness, eye and heart long for thy gladness"--on our best days, we know
that without God in our lives it's a life that is truly missing its core. With
God, our days aren't filled with mindless joy; they aren't filled with mindless
anything. With God, our perspective changes and we know, even on our saddest
days that there is comfort. We are human and nothing will keep us from
occasional sadness--we have free will and that freedom will lead us to choices
or consequences of others' choices that create pain and hurt in our lives . Our
bodies are also imperfect, and they will fail us from time to time. This, of
course, makes us sad, indeed. Nevertheless, that sadness is not accompanied by
an empty, hollow feeling. God fills in all the gaps with love and, even in
those miserable times, we feel comforted and know that we are being held in
God's loving hands.
"I will cause
your name to be honored in all generations; the nations of the earth will
praise you forever"--so true. Once we have become one of God's holy
family, we want to encourage our families and friends to experience this
indescribable bliss. It is, indeed, a true peace that passes all understanding.
"O Morning
star, so fair and bright…" this lovely verse not only describes the first
views of our waking hours but also our "bright and fair" lives as the
children of our loving God.
Peace be with you.
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