August 28, 2007

Six years ago God answered a prayer that I had been praying since our baby girl was born...that He would lead her to the man He would have her to marry. Not just any man, mind you, but a man that loved Him and would be a good helpmeet for her....someone who would complete her and that would love her with all his heart...someone who would be a godly dad to their children and who would fit into our family as if he were one of our own. I am SO thankful to God for answering that prayer!! Today I am proud to share a devotional that this precious son-in-love has written..........ENJOY!!

"THE VOICE OF GOD AT SUNRISE"

by

Josh Steele

Read Mark 16: 1-8

As a passionate outdoorsman, I find myself glued to the television for most of the summer months, watching countless hours of hunting videos. It usually doesn’t matter what type of hunting it is…I can get into any of it!

A couple of weeks ago I was lying on the couch watching the opening ads on one of the videos when an opening line caught my attention. Now for those of you that watch these programs as much as I do, you will know where this came from!

The opening for all "Primos Truth" videos has Will making an introductory statement and right in the middle of it comes: "It’s the voice of God at sunrise!" Wow!!…. was the sudden thought running through my head.

Have you ever sat there and really dwelt on those words? I know that as I sit here and think back over the numerous sunrises I have encountered that this statement holds such truth. There we are sitting in the darkness, awaiting the first glimpse of light, when the woods seem to come alive. There are birds just awakening to provide the choir for the morning’s hunt. The squirrels are starting their day, peeking from their nest or den tree; and during the spring, the mighty gobbler is boasting his thunderous gobble to let everyone know where he is! Do you see the picture?

Is it a merely an accident that the sunrise is such a special time of the day? Is it just a fluke that the wonderful painting of nature comes to life at that certain time of day or is there another reason?

I think that God knew all along that the sunrise would some day hold an extra special meaning! You see, there was a moment in time that occurred at sunrise that forever changed human history. It was a moment like no other before it and none other since, but perhaps, the most important claim to Christianity. The Resurrection!

When you read Mark 16 you will find that on the third day Jesus arose from the dead at sunrise! This meant that Jesus was who He said He was…God…the very God that had come to earth and taken human form, lived a sinless life and then died to pay our sin debt. But, He did not remain in the grave. He rose AT SUNRISE to conquer death! It was at this moment that Jesus had defeated sin and death. This miraculous resurrection is the one event that assures the believer of certain victory.

So you see, how can SUNRISE not be the "Voice of God" that we as outdoorsmen and women get to witness every time we go into the woods to start our day! The next time you find yourself seated in the sanctuary of nature, think back to Mark 16 and give thanks to Him for making the sunrise such a magical time! After all, He did have an AWESOME reason for it!