Today, October 14, 2023, a total solar eclipse will be visible from Oregon to Texas. As the moon crosses in front of the sun, the skies will darken as the sun’s light is partially blocked, leaving just a “ring of fire”. It will be a spectacular event, one people will travel hundreds of miles to see.
For most of us, a solar eclipse is an easily explainable, though still amazing, scientific event, but for our ancestors this was not the case. For them solar eclipses generated not wonder, but fear.
Ancient myths often featured a beast or an angry god trying to destroy the Sun. The Chippewa shot flaming arrows into the sky in an attempt to rekindle the Sun. Peruvian natives did the same thing, but they were trying to drive away the beast that was eating the Sun. For Indonesians an eclipse was caused by the god Rahu swallowing the sun. This didn’t work, because the sun burned his tongue, so he spit it out.
We laugh at the foolishness of these traditions, but we too tremble when the unexpected comes our way. We may not fear a solar eclipse, but we do fear the unknown. We often are overcome with worry and despair when the unexpected happens or things don’t go as we had planned. When the light of God’s presence is momentarily blocked by unforeseen circumstances, we stumble in the darkness, trembling in fear about what will happen next.
It doesn’t need to be this way, however. God has promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). In an eclipse, the sun temporarily blocks our view of the sun, but the sun is still there. In the same way, God is still, even when troubles and worries momentarily block our view of Him
So, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6 NIV). Don’t be afraid of the dark, because, even there, God sees you, for “darkness and the light are both alike to [Him].” (Psalm 139:12 NKJV).
The sun will come up tomorrow, of that you can be sure. You can also be certain of this – your Heavenly Father will never leave you, even on your darkest day. You may not be able to see Him, but He is still there. Grasp His hand by faith and he will guide you safely through the darkness back into His marvelous Light.