I wake up every morning at 4:00, or thereabouts, and spend time preparing for the day with prayer and reading the Word of God, catching up on the world activities and meditating on my observations. But this morning I noticed something that had escaped my attention until now. The light of morning precedes the rising of the sun by a considerable amount of time, allowing me to be prepared in anticipation for the moment that the brilliance of the sun streaks in my front window, flooding my room, my life, with it's awesome beauty.
        I am reminded of the parable that Jesus told His disciples when they asked what would be the sign of His coming in Matthew 24:3.
        In Matthew 25:1-13, He replied with the parable of the ten virgins and said in verse 6, "at midnight there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. ¹⁰  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
¹¹  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹²  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
        The light before the sunrise is like the cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.", and the lapse of time before the sunrise is like the time before his appearance to prepare for his arrival. Every day, from this day forward, I will come, anticipating the light to announce His arrival, and use this time to prepare myself for the glorious appearance of the true, full brilliance to break into my view, and "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."