What if God is reminding us through the magnificent beauty of a total solar eclipse that He’s here, watching over all of human kind?
The Great American Solar Eclipse
What an incredibly amazing experience!
The scene around us started to take on a weird, post-apocalyptic tint (like the kind you’d see in science-fiction movies). Cicadas and other insects started chirping loudly and incessantly. The air started to take on a growing buzz that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise, sending a chill down my spine.
Then, in what seemed like an instant, it was dark. Not midnight-dark – more like 8:30PM dark. Stars appeared in the sky. All around us was a 360-degree sunset.
And in place of the sun was a giant, black hole surrounded by a ring of fire.
The Great American Solar Eclipse had reached its Totality.
It was one of the most incredible things I’d ever seen!
God Or Coincidence?
I read an article today by Eric Metaxas that I thoroughly enjoyed. In it, he asks whether or not solar eclipses could be seen as proof of God’s existence. After all, how is it that with many planets in our solar system, each with its own number of moons (or none at all), a total solar eclipse of this kind only occurs here? With our one moon? On the only planet upon which human beings reside? Fifteen years ago, he did the math and found that the ratio of moon-to-sun size and earth-moon-distance-to-earth-sun-distance was within a sliver of 1:1.
Think about that for a second. The moon’s diameter and its distance from the earth makes it the perfect size to – at certain rare times – cover the sun. And not just entirely, but damn near perfectly.
What are the chances? I’ll tell you – extremely, extremely slim.
I know what you might be thinking. The moon wasn’t always this distance away. And someday, it won’t completely cover the sun like it does now because it’s constantly moving away from the Earth. So it’s not like God placed it there.
Okay. But what you are saying is that it happens to be at just the right size at the same tiny wink of time that human beings exist on earth.
Think about that.
The Total Solar Eclipse: A Godwink
I don’t believe in coincidences. So perhaps I’m predisposed to believing that the existence of a total solar eclipse isn’t one. I get that.
In his book Godwinks, SQuire Rushnell virtually suggests that there are no such things as coincidences, only little moments that God causes just for you. To remind you that He is there, both for you and with you.
I think Rushnell is right, though the stories he presents tend to focus on specific people with very personal stories and connections. (All beautiful. All amazing. I highly recommend picking up a copy).
But what if, among His many winks, God set up a special one in the form of the total solar eclipse? What if He is reminding us through the magnificent beauty of His creation that He’s here, watching over all of us together? For and with all of human kind?
With all the hate, fear and heartache that we – all of mankind – are currently experiencing, I find this to be a beautiful idea, indeed.
As for the leap of faith it takes to assume God set this particular celestial event up just for us… I agree with Mr. Metaxas. It takes a bigger leap of faith to believe this is just coincidence.
Share Your Eclipse Story
Did you get to experience the Great American Total Solar Eclipse? What was it like? Where did you see it? And what do you think of this idea of purpose vs coincidence? Share your thoughts and experiences below!
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