Morning Star

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

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain,

and you will do well to pay attention to it,

as to a light shining in a dark place,

until the day dawns and 

the morning star rises in your hearts.

- 2 Peter 1:19

One of the beautiful names for Jesus in the Bible is the Morning Star. 

The Greek word for it is Phosporos, meaning "Light bearer."  Another Greek word used is Heosphoros, which means "Dawn bringer."

Astronomers say this refers to the planet Venus, rising in the western sky just an hour or so before the sun rises in the east.

The morning star is the brightest star and shines just before daybreak. 

The King James version uses another beautiful term Daystar.

In the passage quoted above, Peter speaks prophetically about the return of Jesus Christ. When He does return, it will really be like the dawning of a new day, the morning star will rise in our hearts.

I am always looking for connections and symbolic meanings behind things and events.

And I am just amazed at the rich symbolism in Jesus calling Himself the Morning Star.

When the Morning Star rises in the sky, we know that daybreak is coming. The darkest hour is said to be just before dawn, and that is when we see the Daystar shining.

God's compassion never fails, His mercies are new every morning.

The Morning Star is the constant reminder to us of a new, and better day coming.

No matter how terrible yesterday may have been, today is a new day.

Weeping may endure for a night, 
but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

Not only does the Morning Star speak to me of  hope... He also speaks to me of staying young at heart.

For isn't it true? The heart that is filled with hope stays forever young.

Yesterday, during the coffee get together time at church, I had a delightful conversation with Uncle Roy, my friend Bjorn's dad.

Uncle Roy is turning 80 this year.

We talked about many things, mostly about how one stays young at heart even when our bodies are chronologically growing older.

Before he left, he mentioned to me a beautiful quote that hangs above the office of General Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo, Japan... an excerpt from the poem Youth by Samuel Ullman, an American businessman and poet.

It was my first time to hear this poem, such unassuming lines, yet so powerful!

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind;it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips, and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

I just fell in love with the way Sam Ullman described youth... 

The rest of the prose poem goes this way:

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living.  In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope  you may die young at eighty.

My third grandson, Joyful One, turns eight months old today.

This little guy will surely stay young... his heart is indeed full of joy and laughter. I think he got the sense of humor of his grandpa Ernie. For both of them, there is always something to laugh about!

Here is my prayer blessing for my grandson today:

May the Daystar, the bright Morning Star always shine on you, my dear Joyful One.

When the night is dark, may your heart always be filled with hope, holding on to the assurance that dawn is coming, and the promise is sure that joy comes with the morning.

I declare that you will spread joy and hope wherever you go...

And you will inspire many others to remain young at heart, by trusting in God, and by waiting on Him alone for the fulfillment of your dreams.

Much love

Nana

Here is a very beautiful song, one of my husband Ernie's favorites. It never fails to touch my heart each time I hear it. This is my song for my dear Joyful One this month...