LET THE LOWER LIGHTS BE BURNING...

This famous hymn was written by Philip Bliss over a century ago. He was inspired by a sermon he heard while living in Chicago. In that sermon, the preacher talked about a ship that was trying to find Cleveland Harbor in the midst of a storm at night.

Many years ago, in a dark and ferocious storm, the captain of a sailing vessel approached land and could see the lighthouse. He signaled the lighthouse man that he must find a port. He was signaled back to come along the shore as close as he dare and try to make the channel, that was the entrance to the safety of the bay. As he drew near, he shouted to the lighthouse keeper, "Where are the lower lights?" The lighthouse keeper answered, "They have all gone out for the night. Can you make the harbor?" The captain replied, "We must, or we will perish!"

The Captain tried to find the channel, but without the lower lights, the ship crashed upon the rocks, and many on board were lost. It was a terrible tragedy.

The preacher brought that story home with these words. He said, "Brothers and sisters, the Master will take care of the lighthouse. Let US keep the lower lights burning."

I was never sure what "lower lights" were. I thought many times about the phrase in the hymn, "Let the lower lights be burning." Well, we've learned that the lower lights spoken of are the lights away from the lighthouse that illumine the water line. They're the various lights from our windows of the houses built along the shore of the channel that enable vessels to come into the harbor at night, through a narrow channel of the harbor's mouth.

In the preacher's tale, all the people had gone to bed, so all the lights were out. The writer of the song, Philip Paul Bliss, was so touched by this story that he penned the music and text to the song we've heard and sung for years, but have never fully understood.

What a very simple but beautiful reminder to each of us how important we are to those around us. So many are lost and "tempest tossed." Those of us who know and love the Lord can help them "make the harbor" through our encouragement, love and guidance to Him. And in the end, how wonderful if we could be the means of rescue and saving. By small means are great things brought to pass, and lives are touched and blessed in ways we often do not know. G. Lewis

Let The Lower Lights Be Burning

"Brightly beams our Father's mercy from His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor struggling, sinking seaman you may rescue, you may save.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother, some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave.
Trying now to make the harbor, some poor sailor may be lost."
Philip Paul Bliss