light in the darkness

The next entry for my Blog is Go Light Your World, which was written by ‎Chris Rice and first recorded by Kathy Troccoli in 1995. A link to Kathy Troccoli performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Go Light Your World

There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world

Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world

We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times

Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world

I think this song delivers a very powerful and clear message, and I wanted to add it to my Blog entries since I had never taken the time to really listen to the song and pay close attention to the lyrics, until now. Yes, I could sing along with the chorus, but didn’t let the meaning of the song sink into my heart. We all have a candle inside of us, as a Christian I believe this to be the Holy Spirt that Christ left with us as he returned home after rising from the grave. Those who have not received Christ do not have the promise of eternal life nor the Holy Spirit, but that can be fixed quickly! If we have not accepted Christ, our candle is dark and just waiting for the spark that salvation brings. We may have accepted Christ, but our candle could be just a slight flicker, or it may be generating as much light as it possible can. If we are letting the Holy Spirit work as it should, we always have that bright candle light that can penetrate the deepest darkness.

So, I have a candle, what’s next? Our mission is to seek the darkness and bring the light. This darkness refers to the darkness of this world, the people who have never accepted Christ. These people may be rich, they may be homeless, they may feel hopeless, and some of them don’t even know they are in the dark. These people are unaware that there is a light that can lead them to eternal life. Our job is to bring our light, our candle, our love for Christ to everyone who does not have this light burning in their soul. No matter what darkness we are facing, we have the light to penetrate that darkness, and the arms of Christ to protect us.

Many people have tried to get out of the darkness on their own, but have merely failed over and over again. They begin to believe they are a perpetual failure and almost settle into a life of deeper darkness and hopelessness. There are also those who have put their faith and hope in others, only to be let down, disappointed, and frustrated with their life. These are all people who perhaps have a candle, but they can never figure out how to light their candle no matter what they try. These are people who need that light which only comes from us who have the light of salvation burning in our souls. No matter their situation, no matter how long they have been without hope, our candle can bring them the light of hope today and an eternal home of light.

Maybe we think we have a bright candle and maybe we are surrounded by family and friends who may have seemingly bright candles as well; if so, we know we will all be together for eternity. What about those who need the light we have? What have you done to share your light with others? I believe too many of us, and too many of our churches, do not work hard enough to share this bright and burning light with others. If we are not sharing, maybe we only have a small flicker of light since we are not taking the effort to share our light with others. If this is the case, then we are disappointing our heavenly father since he would love to have all of his creation in eternity with him. Yes, I know that everyone will not accept the light from our candle, but if we don’t try to share, how do we know who will accept and reject?

Note that the song says to hold out your candle so ALL can see it, it doesn’t give us a restriction. Matthew 5:14-15 talks about the light, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” I believe the house that is referenced in this verse refers to where ever we are, not just the home we live in.

What kind of candle do you have and when was the last time you raised your candle for all of the world to see?

Click to Hear Kathy Troccoli Sing Go Light Your World

The next entry for my Blog is You’ll Never Walk Alone which was written by Oscar Hammerstein II and composed by Richard Rodgers for the musical Carousel, which was initially released in 1945. A link to David Phelps performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog. This song has a special meaning to me. I had a Sunday School teacher at a church in Birmingham, AL who died in a plane crash and left a wife and three young children behind. I was in a youth choir at the time and we sang this song at the church after his passing. I selected the performance of the song by David Phelps, because I felt it needed the emotion he provides in his version.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone

We all face difficult times in our lives. I had been fortunate in that, up until a few years ago, I had not faced some of the challenges so many people face. My storms of life started in 2016 when I lost my dad and this was just the beginning. In 2017 I lost my sister, 2018 I lost my mom, and in 2019 I came within a few hours of death as a result of contracting an almost fatal illness after a missions trip to India. My wife had severe back problems in 2019 and my daughter had an eye stroke in each eye. Most of you have probably had experiences similar to the above or even worse. God never promised us a life filled with roses and rainbows, but he did promise us two very important things we should never forget. The first is the promise of eternal life upon acceptance of his son, and the second is that he will never leave us.

As we stumble through these storms of life, we see only the darkness and we doubt whether or not we can even take another step; wondering where that next step will take us. We try to push forward and we do so with our heads down and feel we have completely lost our way. I believe that people who take their own lives reach this point, because they believe they have no hope; they can’t fight the pain or loneliness any longer. For those of us who have accepted Christ and believe his promises, we should never reach this point; we must try to remember that we are never alone. We should hold our head up and know that God will take us through this latest challenge. Even though it seems as if we are encountering the darkest of days, God is there to bring his light that can pierce any darkness. I can’t help but remember the lines from the Footprints in the Sand poem, which is scripture based, when the Lord said “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

As we take God’s hand, he will lead us through the storm and we will see the bright and shining sun that lights our sky and hear the beautiful songs of the birds that he created. He does this to not only fulfill his promise, but to show us that every storm will pass and the sun will eventually overcome the darkness. As we face the howling winds and the pouring rain that bring us to a point of desperation, we must remember to not give up on our hopes and dreams of tomorrow as well as what eternity has in store for us. God is faithful and he will fulfill all of his promises. If we face the gloom ahead with hope, taking God’s hand, and hold our heads up; we will never walk alone. Romans 8:38-39 tells us we will never be alone, For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Next time you feel alone in the darkness, take God’s hand which is always reaching out to you.

Click to See David Phelps Perform You’ll Never Walk Alone