Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week and so far I’ve spent my morning more Focused on Him than anything else…as it should be. There is a lot of excitement over this new day and millions of people will have their eyes focused on the heavens all at the same time as the moon covers the sun in a rare solar eclipse. Schools are closing and businesses pausing to make sure that nobody misses out on the moment. Some people are as prepared as they’ll ever be and they’ll be on watch all day long because they want to be found ready for this rare event. It’s interesting to see so many people – of all walks of life and every size and shape – all focused on the same thing….just a glimpse of the wonder in the sky. As I considered all the excitement over this solar rarity, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people have even a fraction of the excitement over the Future Happenings in the sky when the King comes back for His people and how many of them will be as Ready for Him as they are ready for the eclipse today.

It’s fascinating to watch how quickly people will dive into the deep end with their own version of truth at the first sign of something unusual happening when all they have to do is read their Bible. If a solar eclipse is this exciting to them, just imagine how much more excited they’ll be when they turn to the Truth for answers! Everything you ever wanted to know about the sun, moon, and stars can be found within the pages of the Word of God, written by the Creator of all. Some people believe that this will be the last day of the world. Some people believe that Jesus will be arriving on the tail end of the eclipse as if He needs a special solar Introduction. It’s obvious that people have a built-in need to understand what goes on around them and they’ll easily grab onto nonsense sometimes to make sense out of something that doesn’t. The only sense worth Focusing on is God Almighty who “scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name”. Now THAT is something to be excited about!

I’m excited to have the chance to witness a rare solar eclipse today, but not nearly as excited as I am about the One who will be Orchestrating it all. I don’t presume to know the mind of God and I don’t try to “guess” what He’s up to on any given day. His Word is my Instruction Manual for such a time as this and His Spirit is my Guide. I look to the heavens OFTEN, and I’m not searching for a rare solar happening when I do…I’m on watch for Jesus Christ because He’s coming for me One Day soon. I’m not sure I’m ready for the solar eclipse and if not for a very dark sky, I might be inclined to miss it if I get busy around the farm. One thing I am sure of is that the solar eclipse will happen one way or the other with or without me and because I know exactly when it’s coming to a sky near me, I won’t be caught off guard. But that’s not the case when the King comes calling for me. That Day will be the Biggest Surprise in the history of the world and nobody knows the day or the hour so I’ll be Watching AND I’ll be READY whenever the day comes. It makes me sad to think about people so focused on the solar eclipse who don’t give the King of all kings a second thought because He’s coming…ready or not!

The same God who created the heavens and the earth is my God. The same God who scattered the stars in the sky is my God. The same God that caused the sun to stand still in the sky for hours is my God. The same God who opens the floodgates of Heaven to bring forth the rain and the snow is my God. The same God who gives the sea its boundaries is my God. The same God who will shield the sun with the moon today is my God. I marvel at the Work of His Hands every single day, and I look to the heavens in hopes that TODAY is the day I’ll see Him. The solar eclipse will be fun to see and I’ll be wearing glasses to shield my eyes but when the King returns I’ll have my eyes and my arms wide open!

How about you?

“And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven” Deuteronomy 4:19