Several days ago, my son came into the house. “Mom” he called. “You have to see this sunrise!” We hurried out the door to find my world washed in pale peach. I stared in awe at the patio stones, their normal brown now tinged peach. My gaze lifted to the plants and trees their green leaves now glowed with a pale peach overlay. My eyes continued upward until I saw the clouds limed with peach and gold. Through the breaks in the clouds, there peeked through a stunning play of gold and peach sunrise light.

¹ The Mighty One, God the Lord,

Has spoken and called the earth

From the rising of the sun to its going down.

² Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God will shine forth. [Psalm 50:1-2] ¹

How blessed I was to be bathed in the light that morning. The effect of the sunrise was mesmerizing, reflecting off the clouds onto the world around us. “Thank you, Lord, for painting our world,” I murmured. My son, who is agnostic, did not argue this time. Only nodded as we continued to exclaim the beauty of the light that morning sunrise. By the time I remembered my phone and grabbed it to snap a couple of pictures, the effect was gone.

A few days later, a sunbeam shined bright through a gap in the curtains. The strong beam cut across the room, highlighting my Mother-in-law’s old scarred and well loved cedar chest that holds blankets and such. I tried to capture the light in my hand and get a photo. Of course, the photo could not capture the light. It only showed my hand in the air. I do not have the skills to capture such a sight.

What I cannot deny is God’s blessing those days. We enjoyed God’s light show, and I played with His sunbeam. These are precious memories where God reminds me of His affection or love for me. These types of pleasures, simple and pure, are some of the best memories we have.

There is a lot going on in our world. I can’t deny that. God has had to step in as a Father to correct wrongs or make things right. There are times when God passes judgment on us. I believe we are living in such a time. A time of judgment and discipline.

This is not fun for us. I don’t believe it is fun for Him either. If you have been a parent, think back on how heartbreaking it can be to discipline your children. You know it has to be done. But oh, how you don’t want to do it! I see God’s grief in Genesis chapter six, where we learned as children of Noah building the ark. But why did God have Noah build the ark? It is so much deeper than a children’s story. It is a Father’s duty:

⁵ Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. [Genesis 6:5-8]

We know how the story ends. It ends with a promise filled with grace for us, God’s Children when we choose to believe:

⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

[Genesis 9:8-17]

I see this passage showing God’s tenderness for Noah’s obedience and trust. In a similar way, God’s light play showed me His love for my son and I. He took time out of running the universe to send my son to get me outside to bask in His light. In these dark times, we need to remember the Father’s discipline and affection for us. Because our Father only has our best interests in mind! Let’s praise Him together:

Father, we come to you today in awe of your great wisdom and love for us. We may not like the discipline we need. Your affection and love for us encourages us today. Your words show us how we need the balance of both. Today, we praise You for giving us the discipline to walk with You in darkness. We trust You with our very lives. From Noah’s time, you grieved over disciplining those You created. We thank you for Your justice even when it is hard to take. You are our refuge and protection.² You are our God above all things. Thank you for saving us and walking with us on this journey. We praise You for the many ways You show us Your love for us. Discipline and love go hand in hand. For without Your balance, we would not grow in wisdom, strength, and love. Praise Your Holy Name! Lord God of Hosts, we worship You. In Yeshua’s name, amen. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.

May you be blessed by God our Father today,

Milly

Footnotes:

¹All scripture is from the New King James Version: Prophecy Study Bible New King James Version, Editor John C. Hagee © 1997 by Thomas Nelson, a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

² Psalm 59:16-17:

³ Please, remember I am not a theologian! This is from my own private discussions with the Lord, study, and experiences. You may see something I do not. That is okay. Let the Lord lead you. Ask Him questions and discuss this with Him. He is faithful to lead and guide us. Just like you, I am searching for wisdom and understanding. God Bless.