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In late August of 1883, it is said that in New England the sun did not rise! The people awakened to an eerie and unexplainable darkness. No rooster was heard crowing and no birds began their chirping. In fact, none of the usual sounds that accompanied the start of a new day were to be heard. Soon people began gathering in small groups to question what was happening. Many wondered and discussed what was taking place. It was reported that by 12:00 PM every church building in New England was filled to capacity and more with people falling prostrate on their knees crying out to God. Some begged for mercy, some cried out for forgiveness while others began confessing their sins. They say that there were few people who did not pray that day the sun did not rise, and the church buildings remained overflowing throughout the long night.
As the next morning neared, the multitudes began milling around and congregating on the hilltops and the high places near their homes and church buildings. All eyes gazed spellbound toward the east, fixed upon that point of the horizon where the sky seemingly touched the land. All were transfixed, watching and hoping breathlessly to catch a glimmer of the first rays of light permeating the darkness. As the sun began to climb slowly up over the horizon, a loud shout swelled from the crowds as the people began praising God as one. All people rejoiced because the sun shone upon the land once again. In unison, it seemed, they began to praise the Lord for the blessings of sunlight and the warmth and the joy of the Lord’s gift of a new day.
What these people failed to realize was that on the island nation of Indonesia thousands of miles away the sleeping giant of a volcano, Krakatoa, had awakened after spending years in slumber. They had no idea that this great mountain had erupted, sending a huge cloud of dust and ash into the upper atmosphere. This black cloud, wafted on the wings of the jet stream, would be carried around the globe. The cloud was said to have covered whole regions of the sky from horizon to horizon. Few people had any idea that a volcano, exploding half way around the world, could create such havoc with a cloud so thick and black that it could even block out the light of the sun entirely. Yet for the majority of those people who experienced the day the sun did not shine that was the very first time in their lives they had ever given thanks to God for providing them with the warmth and wonder of the sun, that life-giving orb He created for us.
Let it not be said of us who are God’s children that we are a thankless people. As the psalmist expressed, so, too, should our hearts overflow with thankfulness: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalm 103:1-5)
May the Lord bless you!
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