Pre-dawn Colours! - signature of Faith!

African Sunrises and Sunsets have a reputation for being spectacular!

One of the benefits of living on the side of 'our' rocky hill is the slight elevation that is mostly lacking in the flat desert land of Botswana.  And that elevation gives us quite an extensive view, especially of the sunrises.

This dry season is of course dry and dusty and our view in the daytime includes a fairly distinguishable line a short distance above the horizon and the buildings of Gaborone, where the sky colour turns from a dirty dull sandy brown colour to a pale blue.

But this dry season is particularly dusty after a few very dry years.  The air is so dusty, especially over the city, that the sunrises have been unusually colourful.  The only other time I have known such colourful sunrises was a couple of decades ago in Australia when a volcano somewhere in Asia erupted and the dust particles in the air resulted in the most amazing sunrises.

This morning, we were treated to such a sunrise - or should I say prelude to the sunrise as the lights of the city still flickered in the partial darkness.  Sadly I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catch the initial intensity of brightness and fiery colours in the sky, but these pre-dawn photos might give you some idea at least!

Such a pre-dawn spectacular reminds me of Scripture's definition of the faith we have in Christ - the 'substance of things hoped for - the evidence of things not seen" - ours is a sure hope. (Hebrews 11:1)  We don't yet have the fulness of  our new life  with redeemed bodies and the glory of heaven.  But our hope is not in vain, we can be sure it will come. Why? Because we have the 'substance' now of the things hoped for.  We have left the depth of the darkness and have been lifted up to enjoy, see the beauty and be a part of the light of the 'pre-dawn'.  The pre-dawn light display in the sky announces the reality of the fullness of the sunrise that is definitely coming! 

I also think it is a great analogy that the dustier the circumstances the greater the beauty of the sky because the greater the particles for the light to 'bounce' off!!