Weekly Devotion - Eclipse

Two weeks ago, I flew to Texas with my wife Chris to see the total solar eclipse. She had missed seeing the one in 2017 with me and I vowed to take her to see this one. 
 
I figured south Texas would be ideal since it was always sunny when I visited there. I chose Waco because it was centered directly on the eclipse path and it offered an incredible four minutes of totality. Unfortunately, I neglected to check the historical weather for Waco in early April. Had I done so, I would have learned that April 8th is typically very cloudy. But it was too late. We had already booked our tickets and reserved an Airbnb. We were committed. Each day we checked the local forecast and it was always the same: overcast. The night before, I seriously considered driving 2-3 hours north just to get into an area predicted to be partly cloudy. But Chris had faith and convinced me to stay and take our chances in Waco. We both prayed for any break in the clouds so she could experience what I did in 2017. 
 
We woke up to exactly what everyone had predicted: overcast skies. I was very disillusioned, but Chris told me to keep the faith. She felt in her heart that we would see it. And sure enough, just before the eclipse started, the clouds began to slightly break up. We could catch glimpses of it in between holes in the cloud cover. The wispy clouds moving across the sky made the unfolding event even more mysterious. As time went on, we even started to see some patches of blue sky appearing. Could it be that we just might see it? We kept praying and looking at our watches. Five minutes before totality, we could see a patch of blue sky just beyond a thick grey cloud that was blotting out the sun. But the temperature was already dropping and the sky was darkening. Totality was imminent. 
 
Just then, the big cloud moved away and there it was—totality! We looked up and saw the most majestic sight ever: the blazing white diamond ring of the sun’s corona dancing all around the dark moon. It was so dramatic and spectacular that Chris was moved to tears. Looking up at that magnificent corona amidst the darkness all around us, feeling the temperature drop, and hearing the birds excitedly chirping like it was nightfall made it a complete sensory experience. We were awestruck witnessing God’s glory above us and we felt privileged to get a small glimpse into His universe. I then realized how terrified the disciples must have felt during the transfiguration of Jesus. 
 
But this was much more than a spiritual moment for me. It was a powerful opportunity to witness faith in action and see that prayers do get answered. I was the doubting Thomas while Chris demonstrated and practiced the faith that I was lacking. In more ways than one, it was the experience of a lifetime.  
 
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“ Philippians 4:6 NIV