I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16
The lament of poor fisherman, dockworkers, and fishwives of Portugal in the 1820s created a musical genre called Fado. Fado has a mournful tune, infused with emotions of loss and resignation to a hopeless fate. Many a Fado song wails about the loss of her mariner husband at sea.
In that day, sailing was dangerous, especially at night. Without the sun for visibility and direction, mariners navigated by the stars. The North Stars moves in a small circle over the North Pole, while all other stars in the Northern Hemisphere rotate around it. With the ability to find the North Star and recognize constellation patterns, mariners could navigate safely even in the dark.
Do you feel lost on dark swirling waters? Are your circumstances too dark to navigate safely? There is no need to sing a song of hopelessness. Look for your North Star; His name is Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus so you can navigate safely.
In fact, Jesus calls Himself the bright Morning Star. The Morning Star speaks of HOPE. In the natural, the Morning Star rises while it is still dark and heralds the dawning of a new day. In the spiritual, Jesus (our Bright Morning Star) rose while it was still dark giving us a sure and confident hope in the coming of a new day.
That new day is the return of Jesus Christ to set up His Kingdom here on the earth. Our King Jesus sits on a throne of righteousness and justice. No longer will people sing songs of hopelessness, but of joy and thanksgiving (Rev. 4:9-10).
Until that new day, we must fix our eyes on the bright Morning Star – our Risen Jesus – to navigate safely in the dark swirling waters of life. May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope (Romans 15:13). Amen!