The Morning Star (by Tuck Mantooth)
The Morning Star
by Tuck Mantooth
"... Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19 NLT).
Some mornings I nurse my inability to sleep with hot coffee, prayer, and meditation over my problems before beginning my work day. During 2011, I found myself up many mornings wide awake, and worrying about things. Things like family, holiday stresses, finances, and events at work were common visitors.
Our den has tall windows facing east with a reflective view of Lake Cortez. The sunrise is blinding, if I am in my favorite chair at that time of day. For early mornings before sunrise, the stars remind me of how small I am, and of my dependence on God for breath and life.
A bright star routinely appears in the northeast corner of my window. It has led me to consider the countless generations before me that have watched the skies and come to the conclusion that the stars must be “gods” and worship them. However, I am “enlightened,” and my relationship with God is based on my belief systems and surrendering to what I know God has spoken into existence, through the Bible and what has been revealed in creation for me to see and know.
This morning at 4 a.m., when I lifted my eyes to the sky after praying, I noticed that the star was missing! I first thought the rotation of the earth had not yet brought it into view. I looked again an hour later, but the star had still not arrived. I stepped to my front porch to get a wider view of the sky, only to confirm that it was not there to be seen in the clear and cloudless black sky.
When I returned to my den a moment later, the star once again appeared in my window. But when I again returned to the porch a second time, it was not there, leaving me curious and confused.
God uses men’s assumptions and observations in ways to teach that depending on Him cannot rely on sight alone. Man must understand who God is and choose his own path and understanding by establishing a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
My prior vision of the star was nothing more than a reflection in my window of a small light on my television cable box. After a moment of quiet private laughter at my mistake, I understood that “seeing is not always believing” in a new way. And that my relationship with God, to whom I was praying and relying on for answers, is not based on anything other than my faith and His presence within. I must always focus on Him, and not his creation, nor a misunderstanding of what I perceive in my daily life. His Morning Star will never fail me.
Our den has tall windows facing east with a reflective view of Lake Cortez. The sunrise is blinding, if I am in my favorite chair at that time of day. For early mornings before sunrise, the stars remind me of how small I am, and of my dependence on God for breath and life.
A bright star routinely appears in the northeast corner of my window. It has led me to consider the countless generations before me that have watched the skies and come to the conclusion that the stars must be “gods” and worship them. However, I am “enlightened,” and my relationship with God is based on my belief systems and surrendering to what I know God has spoken into existence, through the Bible and what has been revealed in creation for me to see and know.
This morning at 4 a.m., when I lifted my eyes to the sky after praying, I noticed that the star was missing! I first thought the rotation of the earth had not yet brought it into view. I looked again an hour later, but the star had still not arrived. I stepped to my front porch to get a wider view of the sky, only to confirm that it was not there to be seen in the clear and cloudless black sky.
When I returned to my den a moment later, the star once again appeared in my window. But when I again returned to the porch a second time, it was not there, leaving me curious and confused.
God uses men’s assumptions and observations in ways to teach that depending on Him cannot rely on sight alone. Man must understand who God is and choose his own path and understanding by establishing a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
My prior vision of the star was nothing more than a reflection in my window of a small light on my television cable box. After a moment of quiet private laughter at my mistake, I understood that “seeing is not always believing” in a new way. And that my relationship with God, to whom I was praying and relying on for answers, is not based on anything other than my faith and His presence within. I must always focus on Him, and not his creation, nor a misunderstanding of what I perceive in my daily life. His Morning Star will never fail me.
Photo/KarenJordan
Can you think of an example of "seeing is not always believing" in your life?
Posted by Karen Jordan at 9 Jan 2012 
Categories: Building Legacies, Blessed, Equipping Disiples, Encouraging Spiritual Stories
Tags: memoir promises word power lifelong learner Guest Post worship truth storytelling Tuck Mantooth light Morning Star
Categories: Building Legacies, Blessed, Equipping Disiples, Encouraging Spiritual Stories
Tags: memoir promises word power lifelong learner Guest Post worship truth storytelling Tuck Mantooth light Morning Star
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