Waiting on the Sunrise

Well, it's not often that I find myself posting twice in less than 24 hours but sometimes you just have those moments that are worth reflecting on and writing about. Much as I have used this blog to post about some of the quirks of living as a foreigner in an Arab country, there is also a deeper reality. Wherever I am, I have been called to wait on God, to meet with Him, and let the overflow of those encounters reach into my everyday life.

Lately I have been struck with the importance of listening to God and then obeying. It's one of those simple truths that can be so easily distorted or distracted from. A friend of mine and I have since decided to wake up every Friday morning and, as of today, Monday morning at 4 a.m. to devote some time to prayer and listening. Odd and crazy as it may be, there is something special about getting up before the dawn and turning my heart, mind, and soul towards my Creator. 

This morning I felt especially refreshed and filled with joy after a middle of the night conversation and fellowship with my church community group in the States. We signed off just after 4 a.m. with the calls to prayer echoing from the mosques over the howls and yelping of wild dogs. My heart poured out with psalms, thanksgiving, joy, and prayers of blessing over my community group. Then I quieted myself and began to listen.


First, I felt led to turn off my light, pull back the curtain, and gaze at the beauty of the full moon shedding its light in the predawn darkness of the western sky. 

Then I went to a different window and looked to the east where the sky was just becoming rosy. The words that God gave me in my heart said: Do you see this beauty that I have created? Beautiful as they both are, the hearts of people, your heart, is more precious to me." (Matthew 5:26)

I then went up to the roof to sit still and just watch the sky change colors before me, each hue shifting and turning more brilliant than before. As I watched, I could feel myself becoming a little impatient (I was getting a little hungry and cold) but I still felt compelled to wait. 

When the sun came it was sudden and gloriously radiant. I realized that I had just witnessed the perfect metaphor (Hosea 6:3). God's coming seems slow but with each transformation of the heart the sky becomes brighter and more colorful, until He comes with the fullness of His light. So beautiful...