LET THE LOWER LIGHTS BE BURNING

"In the same way, 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

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy From the lighthouse evermore;

But to us He gives the keeping Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled, Loud the angry billows roar;

Eager eyes are watching, longing, For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother; Some poor seaman, tempest tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor, In the darkness may be lost.

Chorus

Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave! 

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman, You may rescue, you may save.

We recently sang this amazing song, and its poetic message still melodies in my heart.  This beautiful song encourages me to shine my light to help others come to the Light for guidance.  In His great mercy and love for us, Our Father in heaven has given us a great Light that guides men to salvation, and in the end, to their heavenly home.

"4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."  (Eph. 2:4-8)

The hymn is a metaphor of the maritime dangers that lie along the rocky shores. Ships are in great danger during a storm when visibility is minimal. If they strike the shallows, they may quickly sink in the dark of the night. The angry billows are the roaring winds which call to mind the lust of the flesh, the doctrines of men, and the desires of life which can toss a helpless soul to and fro and drown him in destruction and perdition.

"14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."   (Eph. 4:14)

"9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."  (1 Tim. 6:9)  

God has provided us with that precious Light (the Light pouring from our lighthouse, Jesus) to regenerate and renew the heart unto righteousness. Those filled with His Light become the lower lights that lead others to the right WAY.

"12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain."  (Phil. 2:12-16)  

And since in the Light there can be no darkness, we must walk in the Light as He is in the Light to have fellowship with Him and to have His blood cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7).  He gives us, His children, the keeping of the lights along the shore.  God has given us the Light to help and guide us to walk with Him in a blameless way, both in our inward and our outward character.   In the Bible, sin is always portrayed as darkness and night.

"11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them."   (Eph. 5:11)

"5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness."  (1 Thess. 5:5)

Darkness is evil.  The world is morally and spiritually corrupt.  The world is filled with darkness. They do not walk the straight and upright path (Luke 3:5, Proverbs 21:8, Proverbs 28:18).  They distort the Light and the Truth.  Many souls long to see the lower lights because they give practical definition to the safe path, both sure and steadfast, to find refuge from the storm.

"18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."  (Heb. 6:18-20) 

Throughout the Bible, Light symbolizes safety and salvation.  Therefore, God’s people must carry forth the Light of the Gospel to a world lost in darkness.  Christ is the Lighthouse, and Christians are the fog lights that prevent shipwrecks that drown men's souls.  As the world gets darker, Christians must shine their lights even brighter.

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.  5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."  (John 1:1-5)

"3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."  (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)  

Two things can dim our Light:  sin and the fear of men.  “Some poor seaman tempest tossed” is damaged by the waves of lust, deception, and sin while sailing in the darkness of this world.

"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  (Rom. 3:23)

"13 Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."  (Jas. 1:13-15)  

Therefore, we must keep the lower lights burning, the Light of Christ,  the Gospel.  We must teach men salvation and rescue them from their darkness.  But to shine our lights to others, we must be godly examples in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity,

"12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."  (1 Tim, 4:12)

Likewise, we must seek opportunities to teach others what has been entrusted to us.  If we don't teach them, they will be lost for eternity.  “Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!"

May we shine our light to help others come to the Light for guidance. May God's precious Light (the Light pouring from our lighthouse, Jesus) regenerate and renew our hearts unto righteousness.   May we be filled with His Light to become the lower lights that lead others the right WAY.  May we carry forth the Light of the Gospel to a world lost in darkness and rescue them from danger.  May we always keep the lower lights burning, the Light of Christ, His Word, the Gospel.


Luci