He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions
Eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me
And oh, how He loves us, oh
Oh, how He loves us, how He loves us all… (David Crowder, How He Loves)
Afflictions eclipsed.
By glory.
August 21st, 2017. The eclipse.
Mary and I sat on the back deck of our Subaru Outback in an open field. Tailgate up, coffee in hand… we swapped a single pair of eclipse glasses. The description sounds like something out of the 60’s. And yes, it was a moment. A sweet and memorable moment.
At 11:47am in Aurora, Colorado it seemed as though everything was eclipsed by glory. Everything.
The precision of the moment whispered His name. Predictability wasn’t boring, it was magnificent. Scientists and hotel operators alike counted on the fact that the moon would jaywalk between the sun and the earth on August 21st.
Cash registers clanged (alright, I know that doesn’t happen anymore, but…), prices soared, t-shirts were stamped, daily programming was interrupted… and afflictions were eclipsed… by glory.
On a planet filled with chaos, God showed up on time. The helter skelter of life was preempted with the magnanimous order of the galaxy.
Headlines don’t eclipse afflictions. Personal wealth and power don’t eclipse afflictions. Health and beauty don’t. Fame and recognition don’t. Only and always glory. God’s matchless glory.
Hundreds of millions of people stopped. Hundreds of millions of people looked up. Hundreds of millions of people witnessed a cameo appearance by the Creator. He showed up on time. He always does.
Order.
Billions of stars. Galaxies beyond description. The cosmos beyond comprehension.
And from the back of my Subaru I had a front row seat to the glory that eclipsed affliction. Problems didn’t disappear, they were simply overshadowed. Literally.
God spoke in the language of His orderly and dependable creation. Glory leveled everything. Glory showed up on both sides of the tracks. Glory beamed on the powerful and infirm. Everything seemed wonderfully small, except what God was orchestrating.
God is love, but He’s not to be trifled with. He’s compassionate, and He’s just.
Afflictions.
Eclipsed.
By glory.
In planetariums and open fields… eclipsed.
Open your calendar now. 2024. April 8th (on what will be our 46th wedding anniversary) another total eclipse across the United States.
But make no mistake… every single day reflects His glory. At 6:23am the sun rose. It didn’t get stuck in traffic. It didn’t oversleep. It wasn’t distracted by the Internet. It showed up. And with it, one more vivid reminder. God is awesome. And His glory alone eclipses.
Everything.
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