“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 NIV
This morning was one of those cool cloudless summer mornings you dream of when you want to see the sun rise uninhibited over the horizon. As is my custom, I rose up early, before dawn, to start my day in prayer. Having spent the night at the Jersey shore, I headed out to the beach to watch the sun rise up over the ocean as I prayed. I love to seek the Lord outside, surrounded by the beauty of His creation. Anticipating the view of a glorious sunrise, I decided to capture the moment in a time-lapse video.
The secret of getting a good time-lapse video is to ensure the camera remains steady; too much movement and you end up with a useless hodgepodge of jittery images. A tripod is preferred, but, of course, all I had at my disposal was a cellphone and my own arms. I sat on the beach, propped my arms up in a comfortable position, pointed my phone toward the distant horizon and hit the start button. It takes close to an hour to produce a 30 second time lapse video, but I was in no rush.
As I continued speaking with the Lord, the camera rolling, my arms began to grow weary in the same position. Determined to capture a video that would show the sun, rising in all it’s splendor, I kept to the task, holding the camera as still as I could, maintaining it’s central focus on the sun. I considered the analogy that camera was to my own life. I want nothing more than to glorify the Son, and show the world His amazing beauty, but to accomplish this, I must remain steady…..focused…..immovable. The Lord brought this scripture to my mind:
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB
As the sun popped out over the water, it was so bright, that I found it difficult to look directly at it for more than a few seconds. I began to worry that the image would burn a permanent sun spot into my camera. I imagined a bright spot appearing in all my future photos, similar to the way you see spots when you close your eyes after staring at a bright light. Immediately I thought about the spiritual implications of having the Son’s image burnt permanently on the canvas of my life! That’s the goal, right? What if I could focus on Jesus so intently, and so consistently, that His image is all the world would see when they interact with me?
As I contemplated the importance of focus, I was reminded of the time Peter walked on the water.
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:25-30 NIV
As long an Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he had the privilege of walking on water! Against all odds, Peter could accomplish anything! Wow, that’s how I want my spiritual journey to go! But as soon as he lost focus, he began to sink!
Well I gained far more from my time on the beach than just a time-lapse video. I was reminded of the value of keeping my eyes on Jesus! My video, a bit jumpy without a tripod, will continue to remind me of that valuable lesson. I pray it will do the same for you.
Click the link below to watch the time-lapse sunrise.
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Thank you. Such a powerful message. I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart.