Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy

A lighthouse along the beautiful Oregon coast - 2004

I love analogies & symbols. I think they help my simple brain understand things in a more vivid way. On Sunday I was reminded of the lighthouse being one of many symbols of the love and light of our Heavenly Father. I was reminded of this through song as I attended a concert performed by the BYU Men's Chorus. {As a side note - if you EVER have the chance to hear them perform, I highly recommend going. It is so cool to hear a chorus of 200+ college men singing in unison & harmony - so talented, so entertaining, so great! They performed a variety of music from spiritual to classical to contemporary. Thoroughly enjoyable}

So, back to my story of the lighthouse - the BYU Men's Chorus sang the hymn, "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy". What I loved about this song is how they pointed out to the audience that not only does the song give an analogy of our Father as the lighthouse, but it gives an analogy of what He wants us to do as well. This is basically what they shared with us before the song was performed:

"Often, as a ship approaches a harbor, there is only one safe angle that it may come in from. There may be rocks, a coral reef, or other dangers that would prove hazardous if the ship sails in from the wrong direction. While the lighthouse marks the harbor, alone it provides no information as to the direction from which the harbor may be safely reached. Since the lighthouse may be seen from many angles, there must be another light, the lower light to guide the ship in the right direction. The ship must sail until it sees this lower light in line with the lighthouse and approach the harbor at this angle.

In this hymn, our Heavenly Father stands as the lighthouse, constantly marking the harbor. However, we are entrusted to the keeping of the lower lights. It is our responsibility to keep that light constantly shining so that our brothers and sisters out on the stormy seas of life may evade the danger and be brought safely into the harbor."

After listening to this explanation & then hearing their beautiful voices, tears came somewhat easily. I have heard this hymn before, but for me, on Sunday night, the experience was just a little more impressionable than previous times. Here are the beautiful words to this hymn:

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
From his 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 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.
Some poor fainting, struggling sea-man
You may rescue, you may save.

Text and music: Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876

For a little fun trivia -

I found this information on the internet. You never know if it's completely accurate or not, but makes for a great story about the origin of this hymn -

Philip Paul Bliss was directing the singing for a series of services being conducted by the well-known preacher Dwight L. Moody. As he closed his message, Moody told the story of a captain who was attempting to bring his boat to the Cleveland harbor one very dark and stormy night.

The waves rolled like mountains, Moody said, and not a star was to be seen in the clouded sky. He pictured the boat rocking on the violent waves as the captain peered through the darkness for the sight of a signal light by means of which to guide his vessel to safety. When he finally spotted a single light from the light-house, he turned to the pilot and asked:

“Are you sure this is Cleveland harbor?”

“Quite sure, sir,” the pilot replied.

“Then where are the lower lights?” the captain continued.

“Gone out, sir,” the other man answered.

“Can you make the harbor?” the captain asked anxiously.

“We must, or perish, sir,” the pilot replied.

But despite his strong heart and brave hand, in the darkness he missed the channel. With a resounding crash the boat piled up on the rocks and then settled slowly to a watery grave.

As the congregation listened intently, Moody concluded with this admonition to the Christians:

“Brethren, the Master will take care of the great light-house; let us keep the lower lights burning.”

That was all Bliss needed to pen one of his most popular hymns, Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.