SAVED “SHIPS”
If you have been reading my blogs for very long, you know I love lighthouses. They tower high above the ocean and sea to warn ships of the hidden dangers under the water and the rocky shores. They bring brilliant light searching to save a weary traveler.
I was watching a movie the other night, (yes, it was a Hallmark movie of course) and the main character made a statement that got me to thinking. He said he “wondered how many ships had been saved by the particular lighthouse that he was going to fix and bring back to life.” Little did he know that by fixing up that lighthouse, he was going to save his own daughter from the raging water because of the light which shone brightly, that he had just fixed, to help find her in the darkness.
Years ago, when my husband had to go to Mayo clinic in Florida, we went and saw several lighthouses. It thrills my heart to actually stand at the base of them and look up to it towering above me, standing so majestically. They are so much bigger in life, standing by them, than seeing them on the television.
In the movie, the main character also said “the lighthouse is a simple tower that exists putting a cross between disaster and salvation.” Wow! What a statement! I want to focus on that sentence. God is like that lighthouse. He gives everyone the same chance to not sink under the fury of life, by shining His light for all to see. The life happenings will still be there and we might get beaten up by the roaring “sea of life.” But God is ever sending His light out to us. We just have to reach out, look above and hold on.
I will give you a few verses to think about that I have been holding onto.
In Nehemiah 9:12, the writer is talking about when God parted the waters for the Israelites to pass through and which destroyed Pharoah’s army. “…You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the road which they should travel.” The Israelites were running for their lives! If I was one of them, I would be so scared. Wouldn’t you? They were still going through the trial but God protected them with His lights, one for day and one for night. Having a wall of fire and light, God protected His people.
Psalm 27:1 reads, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Light is a deliverance from darkness. The word salvation combined with the word light means” saving light.” Our humanness gives us much to be afraid of on this earth. I am getting ready in a few days, to have a total knee replacement. Am I afraid? Absolutely!! Fear is gripping my heart. My head at 5 o’clock this morning was thinking all kinds of fearful things. What if I don’t wake up from the surgery? My daughter and family are coming for two weeks at Christmas time. I want to be with them so badly. If I don’t wake up, I won’t get to hold them close to my heart. But God said” Whom” or what, “shall, I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life.” God has reassured me that if I do not wake up, that I will go to live with Him eternally. Because God is our light, ever searching, ever trying to help us by leading us to Him through His marvelous light.
In Matthew 5:14-16, verse “…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus was telling the believers that they needed to not hide themselves from the world, but let their lights not be hidden-stand tall and let others see that you are a child of God. Even though the world tries to put out our lights, just like a lighthouse, we need to rise up above that trial and be a beacon of light for others to see. In turn, they will want to shine brightly because of our light.
John 8:12 reads “Then, Jesus spoke to them again, saying ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” As the sun is the physical light for our world, so Jesus is the spiritual light of the world. Jesus exposes sin and gives sight for all to see His brilliant light!
It seems that I am always asking God to help me out of the dark trials of this life. Instead, I should be inviting God into that darkness. To help me-pull me up to His light. I need to not let the swirling waters, the swirling darkness pull me into it, but rather let God’s light save me. Search for that peace that only God can give. Just like a boat on the scary, dark, stormy night, I need to hold onto that light, that is searching, waiting for me to cling to it. The lighthouse pulls sailors to it to help them, to save their ships and themselves. Sometimes I forget, that I cannot be saved by my own power, but rather from the power of God’s light. God’s light will shine and help me maneuver through and from this world’s darkness.
There have been many, many ships that have been saved by the magnificent lighthouses throughout the land. Those captains of those ships had to stop looking down, around himself at that dark, scary sea and look up and search out for those lighthouses. The light from those lighthouses, just like God’s light, are ever searching-ever seeking those who are lost in the darkness.
The beautiful lighthouses are not in use as much as they were before. Technology has taken over. Through the years, they have saved so many. Those saved ships will find peace once again. Our Lord and Savior, has saved many “ships.” I am so thankful for His light, because He has and will continue to reach out to us. We just have to look towards His saving light!
God is like that simple lighthouse which towers above us. He gave of His life on the cross, just two simple pieces of wood hammered together, to save us from disaster and give us salvation! I am so thankful for the beauty of the lighthouses. But even more important, I am so thankful for God’s light ever seeking-ever trying to save our “ships.” How about you?
Till next time!
Keela
(Just a side note. Please lift me and the doctors up in prayer on October 26th. On October 26th, 2009, my husband died during a surgery, on that exact day, twelve years ago. God is not miraculously going to fix my knee. But I am looking up to Him to keep me safe and whatever happens, I know He is my God and I am His child.)