Sunrise promises that we can, again, see the beauty of the Lord. The flower by the walk, the smile on a child’s face, the young, pastel greens of Spring—these and all creation proclaim the serene beauty of God.
The light can also, of course, illumine the shadow side, the darkness of this world. The ugly, hateful, and destructive, in both humankind and nature, stand in sharp contrast to the beautiful.
And often the power and dynamic range of a photograph, whether in camera or in our eyes, are determined by the juxtaposition of the beautiful and the not so lovely. Like a resilient flower surviving after a tornado or a mother’s love transcending the devastation of a war zone.
Perhaps our vision of life, our way of seeing things, our life photograph as it were—maybe these can if we will result from seeking God in every scene of our lives. Even when God seems to be absent, silent, hidden. The psalmist paints a picture of thus seeking God in all life: “My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning” (Ps 130:6.)