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“And I need you now tonight...and I need you more than ever...”
I did it, didn't I? I got you singing, and you probably won't be able to stop for the rest of the day. You're welcome! If that last statement prompted a secondary song, well...I'm not even sorry!
Recently our nation experienced a total eclipse, during which many people panicked. For days and even weeks ahead of time, they lost their minds. Conspiracy theories abounded, fears of Revelation proportions, general obsessions, you name it. During my morning coffee, as I was doing my Bible study, I momentarily thought about the day's event. Yes, I started singing the song and came to the line that says, “Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.” It occurred to me that this eclipse was interesting in a way that I had not yet heard anyone talking about. I am sure that plenty of people have, but as of yet, it was new to my heart. This year, Easter came almost a full month before Passover which is unusual, but the eclipse happened almost exactly in the middle of those two observances. While we don't celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus on the exact day every year that it occurred nearly two thousand years ago, I believe that God honors our heart posture in remembering. The Jewish practices focus on remembrance, and the Lord honors our remembrance. His grace is so good to cover us when we get things wrong—which happens a lot!
The path of totality for this event ranged between the noon hour and the three pm hour for a huge part of the country and this stood out to me. Near the end of the book of Mark, the apostle describes the death of our Savior. In chapter fifteen, verse thirty-three, Mark writes this:
“At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.”
Now, does that give you chills? It certainly gave me some! While the numbers may not be precise, it feels very significant. While our Savior gave His life for ours, an eclipse darkened the earth—this fact is agreed upon by many theologians, and can even be confirmed in many contemporary writings; yes, even secular writings. But this eclipse was different than any other. The moon and the sun aligned for three full hours! Then we read that Jesus called out to His Father—our Father—and breathed His last breath for the next three days. When He exhaled that breath, the veil in the Temple that had separated us from the presence of God for thousands of years was ripped from top to bottom! This was our Father demonstrating to us that Jesus' sacrifice opened the door for us to be able to approach God freely, and without need for mediation. I imagine that the sun again broke through as the veil finished tearing the last few threads, symbolizing our freedom from darkness.
During the eclipse, I found myself in awe of His sacrifice. In awe of the signs that He sends us, constantly asking us to remember His works, His love, His care for us. This brings me back to those iconic lyrics from the beginning of this article:
“And I need you now tonight...and I need you more than ever...”
We need God more than ever before! Each passing day shows us how much we need His presence in our lives, and it's funny how even secular songs can be redirected toward the Father. We can choose instead to tell Him, “And I need You now tonight...and I need You more than ever...” We always need the Lord in ways different than the ones we needed the day before, the week before, and the year before. But His mercies are new every morning, just as He told us they would be:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
As you reflect back on the eclipse of 2024, I pray that you experience a “total eclipse of the heart”, and that your heart turns toward Jesus in an even deeper way, experiencing Him in ways you never have before. I pray that this event reminds you of His love for you, and how that love is so strong that it dispelled all of the darkness in the world just to reach you and give you uninhibited access to the Father.
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