Beautiful day, bright blue sky, hot humid sunshine. The sun is beaming down directly on the yellow sunflowers, their heads turned upward, worshipping the warmth. The purple finches are arguing loudly on the feeders today. The cardinals, shy around all the noise of the finches, are slowly flocking to the bird feeders. I saw the funniest fledgling cardinal on one of the feeders. His crest rested straight across his head, looked like he had a Shriner’s hat on. I hope the other cardinals don’t shun him. His plumage was so beautiful, watercolored intricately in deep reds and muted oranges, the beginnings of a males’s coloring. He’ll be special with his crest. Gonna watch for him each day.

I put some new suet out for Woody, the downy woodpecker. He loves to eat the suet while perching upside down. Been too wet for oldest brother to till up the flower bed for my zinnias and sunflowers so I’ve given up on that garden, happily enjoying the bed of sunflowers the birds planted for me. I have three zinnias that came up from last year’s volunteer seeds so I put tomato cages around them so my yard mower won’t weed eat them down. Those three plants will bloom enough for the butterflies to come tap dance. Last year my flower garden was full of butterflies dancing all day long.

Two days ago I scratched a shallow line in the dirt in front of the side bannisters, dropped a few zinnia seeds, raked some dirt over them, a little rain fell, and two days later, I have a row of tiny zinnias. The rain and sun encouraged them to pop right up. I hope nothing eats them before they can get established.

I’m enamored by the sun today, its warmth and beautiful brightness. I’m thinking how Noah and his family endured forty days and forty nights of rain without a glimpse of the sun peeking through the purple rain clouds. How depressing for them, stuck in the darkness, being bounced and tossed around by the waves, trusting in God’s grace to stop the rain and save them. They must have worked non-stop in the ark’s dim light feeding and watering the animals. I imagine Noah opening the wooden window, seeing the first rays of the sun shine through, feeling the peace of God’s grace in the sunshine’s warmth.

In Genesis 1, we read God created the sun and moon “as lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night, for signs, and for seasons, days, and years.” We can also see the sun as a metaphor for God’s love and protection surrounding us. Psalm 84:11, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

The sun provides light and warmth to the Earth which is essential for life. God is the ultimate source of light for our spiritual life, illuminating our path with his holy light. The sun’s power is seen as evidence of God’s unwavering grace to provide for us. The sun’s warmth and light remind us of God’s presence and goodness.

Psalm 19:6 describes the sun’s daily movement, “From the farthest end of the sky it goes, and its path goes all the way to the other end. No one’s light is hidden from it.” The sun’s movement illuminates and warms the entire earth. The sun’s light is a symbol of God’s omnipresence. We cannot hide from God’s light. Proverbs 15:3 states, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

God has intimate knowledge of us and our lives. Psalm 139:2-4 says it best. “You know when I sit and when I rise; you understand my thought from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; you are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

Bible scripture describes God as omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, loving and compassionate, powerful and authoritative. I see God as a loving father and a shepherd, proving guidance, protection, and comfort to his children, the sheep of his flock.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

“The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun.” — Robert Herrick