It was a blessing to grow up in a home and on a property where it was effortless to seek out the sunrise and the sunset; all I had to do was leave my bedroom. Sitting at the kitchen table with breakfast, the sunrise would stare me in the face. Spending an evening in the living room, the sunset would be impossible to miss. With one foot out the front door, I had beautiful farm views at every angle. This is something I didn’t know I took for granted until moving out of that home and into a house that does not have east and west facing windows to let in the glorious colours of the low-laying sun.

We’re always told to count our blessings and I’m sure many of us do, but the lists that we make are probably fractional in size compared to the abundance of blessings we truly have. With so much privilege, it can be hard to understand that something is a blessing until we are without or we witness someone without: a working faucet, heat, a full belly, a reliable vehicle, the companion of a pet, a job where you’re treated well, a safe neighbourhood, a country with freedom, salvation as a sinner, … the list could go on and on. It is a blessing to have breath in our lungs to be able to see the sun rise in the morning. It is a blessing to have peaceful surroundings as the sun sets.

There are so many examples in scripture that include the sun to depict meaning or provide imagery. Here is just a sample:

A caution to be self-aware in prevention of idolatry: Deuteronomy 4:19, “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars – all the heavenly array – do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.” 

To direct our worship: Psalm 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”

To show the stability and cyclical nature of the Lord’s creation: Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.”

In warning to unbelievers: Joel 2:31-32 “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

In a demonstration of the Lord’s goodness and how we are to become like Him: Matthew 5:44-45 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

The sun is still rising and setting whether I seek it out or not. I could still have access to those beautiful sights, it just requires a bit more effort now. Similarly, in trials it often takes that extra bit of effort to see the blessings. Believe you are blessed and you will begin to see blessings in abundance. Believe you are cursed and your eyes will become blind to the goodness before you. The realization of your blessings does not negate the struggles, but a perspective of gratitude creates a heart posture that will carry you through hard times.

If you are feeling lonely, ask the Lord for His companionship. If you are lacking love, ask the Lord for His embrace. If you are seeking wisdom, ask the Lord for His guidance. We waste so much time seeking these things out in this world on our own while God is waiting for us to call on Him. Furthermore, He has given us His written word in anticipation of our struggles long before we were even born.

As Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

A sunrise and a sunset always point my attention to the Lord. I am reminded here that I can find the Lord in every circumstance, at every time of day or night. He is always ready for me; He is always ready for you.