When I notice rays of sunlight streaming through a cloud, I can hardly look away. They make me think of the Rapture, wondering if someday we’ll pass through an opening in the clouds just like that. Or Jesus’ return, which He said would be among the clouds.
Apparently, I am not the only one whose thoughts are turned to heaven by such a sight. Some have called this phenomenon “fingers of God” or “God rays.”
I learned recently that these shafts of sunlight have a scientific name: Crepuscular rays.
I was interested to read that the sunbeams are actually parallel. They look like they fan out to us in the same way that railroad tracks look like they are close together right in front of us but wider the farther they extend, even though they are actually parallel.
But what struck me even more was the fact that the rays are visible due to the light’s reaction with particles in the air, a process called scattering.
And do you know what one of the main particles in the atmosphere is?
Dust.
Dust is one of my least favorite substances on earth. No matter how many times I wipe dust off surfaces, more accumulates in just a day or two.
Yet glorious sunlight can interact with everyday dust to show forth light that turns our thoughts to God.
You know, the Bible says we’re made of dust. We’ll return to dust when we die (Genesis 3:19). God’s fatherly discipline of us is tempered by the fact that “he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).
Sometimes our frames are so dusty, it’s hard to imagine anything glorious coming from them or through them.
But “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
God shines the light of Christ in us that we might know Him. Then His light shines through us, dusty as we are, and scatters His light that others might see and turn to Him.
Jesus told us to “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
When people look up to rays of light in the sky, they don’t notice the dust. They just see the light reflecting off the dust.
May God scatter His light across the everyday “dust” of life–in our homes, cars, stores, churches, neighborhoods. May others see Him reflected through us and be turned to His light.
(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)
Stray Thoughts 
Great info and perspective 👍
Thank you! 🙂
This was such a wonderful and uplifting post, Barbara! I’m so glad that I stopped here today!
Thank you, Joanne. This was a blessing to me to think through as well.
As long as I can remember, we’ve called those kinds of rays coming through clouds “Jesus clouds”. What a wonderful perspective on how dust reflects the sunbeams – we are formed from clay and so very dirty, but it’s always been God’s intent to use our dustiness to reflect his glory.
It’s so amazing that He can reflect His glory off our “dustiness.”
Barbara, I love this! Seeing those rays coming from the clouds always causes me to ponder the sight, but I guess I just never did any research about them. And to think that they actually have a name! Who knew? And to think that it’s dust that causes that beauty when we gaze into the site. You did such a wonderful job of parallelling it to our daily lives. Thanks so much!
I didn’t know these rays had a name, either, until I saw it mentioned in a recent novel I read: He Should Have Told the Bees by Amanda Cox. It mentioned that the light reflects off dust, and that piqued my curiosity to know more. Then the parallel between that and God’s glory reflecting from our “dust” made it a really special study to me.
I love to see those sun rays coming down! God uses even dust to show His glory!
Isn’t that amazing?
I love the idea that even dust can show the glory of God!
I love this image, Barbara, and, oddly, it reminds me of my efforts to learn Spanish. I’ve learned that “dust” in Spanish is “polvo” which seems not only to have no connection to our noun, but also it seems like too weighty and dignified a word for mere dust. But then, you’ve reminded me that there’s nothing inconsequential about dust…
Barbara, I love that you wrote such an encouraging post about dust, even though it’s one of your least favorite substances on earth! (Psalm 103:13-14 is one of my favorite passages, by the way.)
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