Daily Devotional

On Monday, April 8, the United States experienced a total solar eclipse, and while for us here in California it wasn’t very exciting, for those in the path of “totality” the sky went dark in the middle of the day for up to four minutes and the corona of the sun could be seen. A solar eclipse is a fascinating phenomenon and it is amazingly possible because while the sun is roughly four hundred times the size of the moon, the moon is roughly four hundred times closer to earth than the sun making them appear in our sky to be roughly the same size. In the book of Genesis in the creation account we read in chapter 1 verse 14, “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs [emphasis added] and seasons, and for days and years;””.

Now as a result of a rare total solar eclipse happening, and in light of Genesis, you can imagine that many theories began to surface regarding the meaning of the eclipse. You could find all kinds of YouTube videos speculating as to the meaning of city names the totality would cross, where the eclipse would start, the number of years since the last one, etc. And while none of the doomsday predictions that some were speculating came true, it doesn’t mean we should dismiss the event either. In the passage above in Mark, Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the end of days and what events would take place before the end. Every generation since the time of Christ has wondered if they are in the last days and it can be easy to get caught up in the speculation regarding current events and how they may line up with the narratives found in Daniel, Matthew, Mark, Revelation, and so on.

But while Jesus said that of that day no one knows the day or the hour, He did say to watch and be ready. The Christians our job is to not run around like the sky is falling. After all we have security in Christ and His promises, we know how the story ends and we should not be surprised nor fearful of the end. However we are called to watch, to be ready, and of course warn our fellow man of the need for a Savior. Could the eclipse be a sign of impending judgment by God on our country like in the book of Jonah? Sure. We can easily see that this once “christian nation” is heading down a dark and sinful path and is growing ever further from God. It’s our job as Christians to be the salt and light. To not conform to the image of this world but boldly proclaim Christ as we see the days grow darker. Pray for each other, pray for your city, your state, and your nation. Pray God would return, and that in the meantime many would be saved.

New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.