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There’s been so much talk of the eclipse. Some people had eclipse parties, bought designer eclipse glasses, and paid big money to travel to places along the path of totality in the hope of catching a total eclipse. Hey, you do you!
But when I overheard a number of folks talking about how viewing the eclipse was such a spiritual moment for them—one guy I know even mentioned how the majesty of the eclipse touched his soul and changed his life—I felt inspired to write this short blog post, offering my impressions of what the eclipse meant to me.
An eclipse is a majestic cosmological phenomenon, indeed. But its majesty points beyond itself to the Creator of the cosmos. All creation carries with it the signature of God. In fact, the Bible frequently speaks of creation as a means by which we come to know God (Ps 19:1-5; Ps 8:1; Ecc 3:11; Jn 1:3; Rom 1:20; Heb 11:3; Job 12:7-10). This is not a coincidence. It is by design.
So, as I (safely) watched the eclipse, I reflected on the great lengths to which God goes to capture our attention. Lord knows it isn’t easy to get people to look up from their phones, to take a moment to pause and reflect, or to simply wonder at the world around them.
In my humble opinion, people, like my friend, who said that the eclipse was a spiritual experience for them, were unknowingly describing an encounter with God. Of course, they would not necessarily agree with me. And that’s okay.
I’ll end this post with the verse from Ecclesiastes referenced above:
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Sometimes, it takes an incredible sign to raise our minds and hearts to God. An eclipse is a great example. By not seeing the sun, many might come to recognize the Son, through whom, the Bible says, “all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (Jn 1:3)
Lord, eclipse our doubt. Amen.