Beyond The Sunset

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/28rv82

Virgil and Blanche Brock were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful sunset one evening in 1936. Two of their friends were with them at that time as they watched the waters of Lake Winona, Indiana, seem to be set ablaze by the setting sun. As all four of them sat looking in the direction of the sunset, one of the friends remarked that it was the most beautiful sunset he’d ever seen. His conclusion came not by his own vision, however, since he was blind. His statement came due to the remarks the others were making about the beautiful sight.

As the evening wore on, Blanche and Virgil began to compose the words and music to the song, “Beyond The Sunset.” By the time dinner was over all four verses of the song were completed.

Here is the first verse of this song.

Beyond the sunset O blissful morning,

When with our Savior heav’n is begun,

Earth’s toiling ended, O glorious dawning,

Beyond the sunset, When day is done.

At times you may hear someone refer to an older person as being in the twilight of their life. However morbid some may think it to be, the metaphor of the life being one continuous day certainly has its good points. We all will face our final hours one day. Some in old age. Others, as it may appear, before their time. But we will all face an end to this life.

Paul writes the following in Romans 13:11-12. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

Notice some of the points made by this song. The day will be ended and then heaven will begin. What a great thought to have! To the Christian, we do not fear death for we know that it will bring on the dawn of a new life—one that is eternal.

No clouds will be gathered and no storms will be threatening us beyond the sunset. Many people mistakenly assume that to be in Christ is to be free from any problems or struggles in this world. But the Bible is very clear that persecutions, struggles hardships and cruelties will be faced by God’s people in this life. The endurance of such provides that our reward in heaven will be even more precious to us.

Also included in the song is the notion that we are guided to God in heaven. Through God’s word we each may come to know the will of God for mankind and how we can live so as to be found righteous in His sight. Like David said in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We must look to God’s word on a frequent basis if we hope to be guided to Him for eternity.

There will also be a glad reunion with loved ones beyond the sunset of this life. Not only will we be gathered with them, but we will not be separated from them again.

I have many loved ones that have already passed from this life to the next. And I’m sure that you do as well. They can’t come back to us on earth, but we can and will pass on to them in the next life. Isn’t it a comforting thought to think and to sing about that glad reunion with our loved ones beyond the sunset?

Yes, friends, I know this life can be full of many hardships, trials, disappointments, toil and weariness. But God had promised us a better place, a place where all of these things have been taken away and where our eternity will be spent with the glory of God.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we take the time to contemplate where we will be when the sun sets that final time. May we make our preparations now for the journey that we must all take one day to eternity.

Our thought for the day: “The man who expects to go to heaven must take the time to study the route that will get him there.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.