“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” Psalm 43:3
There is a song by the Christian band Rend Collective that is called “My Lighthouse”. The opening lyrics go like this: “In my wrestling and in my doubts / In my failures You won't walk out / Your great love will lead me through / You are the peace in my troubled sea…” Eventually followed by this chorus: “My lighthouse, my lighthouse / Shining in the darkness, I will follow You / My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse / I will trust the promise / You will carry me safe to shore…”
Now, let me back up a second and preface this post with a statement... I love lighthouses. Living in Oregon, I have the extreme privilege of being in close proximity to several (eleven to be exact) which I can access with just a few hours drive. If you don’t live near a coastal community, you may not know that often lighthouses are accessible to the public. Unfortunately, you may not be able to enter all the lighthouses, although some you can. There are scenic trails you may follow and stand in the majestic shadow of one of these beautiful sentinels.
I was recently asked what it is that I love about lighthouses and I had a hard time articulating my true feelings. It is partly the fact that these incredible feats of engineering have withstood time and progress. The elemental idea of a lighthouse has not changed in centuries. The elemental idea of a lighthouse is to warn sailors of shallow waters and to guide them safely to shore. This concept has evolved and changed generationally, but the inherent purpose of a lighthouse is unchanged. It is simple. It is necessary. It is profound.
However, there is more to my affinity than just the classic purposefulness of the lighthouse. It is a gut-deep emotion. It lives in the place where the awe and wonder of a sunset lives. It lives in the pit of my stomach behind my intestines and above my pelvis. It’s a slow-burn, an ache. It is something spiritual, divine...
God speaks to me. When I say that, I don’t mean I hear a booming voice from Heaven. It is more of a still, small voice in the back of my mind. I know it’s not my voice because the intention of this voice is beyond the “self”. It is a powerful, ethereal voice but is so subtle, it could be easily ignored or cast aside. This, to me, is the voice of God, speaking to my soul, my spirit. When it speaks, I try, with my very being, to listen. This is the voice that called to me in Bryce National Park and told me that he would take care of me. It is the voice that whispers to me standing before the majesty of nature that He alone is worthy of praise. It is the voice that calms my fears, reassures my doubts, heals my hurts and focuses my heart. I’ve learned to lean in and listen. I’ve learned to pay attention when this still, small voice speaks.
At lighthouses, the voice of God speaks to me.
He says that he will be a lighthouse. My lighthouse. He will give me warning of danger. He will be ever vigilant. He will be my peace in a troubled sea. He will guide me to safety. I can depend on his guidance, trust his direction. He will keep watch, be the sentinel.
This realization makes my affinity toward lighthouses grow more deeply and significantly. I look at these mammoth creations of brick and cement, glass and wood and I see my deliverance. The fact that a lighthouse stands tall in a storm does not mean that the storm will cease. It doesn’t mean that the boats and ships won’t be in jeopardy. It doesn't mean that sailors won’t perish. But what it does mean is that there is a watchtower, illuminated in the darkness, offering rescue. What a comfort that must have been to sailors of old tossed in an angry sea. What a comfort it is for my drifting soul, tossed in the turbulent waters of life… A beacon. A hope. Safe Harbor.
His love and grace are like a lighthouse. We can be subjected to the storms in life, getting tossed and turned, feeling lost and alone. But the Light is always burning, always leading us toward safety and comfort and home. We just have to remember to listen to the voice like a ship looking for the beacon. And when we see it, hear it, we must trust that it will guide us in the right direction. In the words of Rend Collective: “I won't fear what tomorrow brings / With each morning I'll rise and sing / My God's love will lead me through / You are the peace in my troubled sea…”
I don’t think I could have said it better myself.
(Songwriters: Simon Thomas Hinkler / Jarvis Cocker)
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