The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

On August 21, 2017, many of us in the continental United States had the opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse.  While I am told that eclipses occur frequently, there has not been a coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in the United States since 1918.

The moon cast a 70-mile wide shadow over the earth as it traversed between ourselves and the sun.  How could the moon block out the sun?  The numbers are easy to understand but incredible to comprehend.  The sun is 400 times greater than the moon, but the moon is 400 times closer to the earth than the sun.

Even though you no longer can see the sun itself in the total solar eclipse, its power is impossible to contain as the corona emanates from the sun while the moon appears to linger on its journey. The corona is a superheated region of plasma located above the sun’s photosphere, and scientists assert that it extends for over five million kilometers.  Staggering figures that give further evidence of the magnificence of our Creator God.   

There are many who will write tomes about this eclipse, and my offering here will surely be rudimentary and simplistic, but, after seeing this heavenly event, I can only be in awe of God’s majesty and glory, repeating what the Psalmist said:

On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.  

Psalm 145:5

God has chosen to communicate Himself to us through the glory and majesty of His created order, nature.  The theologians call this General Revelation or Natural Revelation – that is to say, these are the works or acts by which God reveals himself through nature. 

The purpose of General Revelation is to make God’s eternal power and deity manifest to all mankind. 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20.

The solar eclipse caused me to sing praises to my God and the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ.  Truly His eternal power and divine nature were on clear display during the eclipse, confirming the truth that His majesty is above earth and heaven.  His glorious splendor is apparent in His creation, and His works are, indeed, wondrous.  Praise God that He has provided evidence of Himself in nature and in His created order.

Father, I thank You for the privilege of watching Your creation operate in such wondrous ways.  I praise Your name for the gift of seeing Your power and majesty as they are exhibited in Your creation.  You are God, and there is none like You.  Praise and honor are due to You, and You alone.