As I’ve had a little more time to spend with the Lord while recovering from some minor surgery He has been sharing a lot with me out of the Book of Ezekiel. And Saturday morning He flashed a picture of a lighthouse across my mind as I was contemplating the reasons why God called his prophet to deliver His message to Israel. As I thought about it He reminded me of something He had shared a long time ago… as His bride we are a “lighthouse.”
Lighthouses are always built on a rock and so is our foundation. No matter how hard the wind will blow or the waves of persecution and trial will pound on us, our foundation can never be shaken.
Lighthouses are always elevated high above their foundation so their light can be clearly seen by those both near and far. We have been set as light on a hill in order to shine His light.
Lighthouses need a source of fuel oil in order to keep burning brightly that must be frequently replenished. We have the Word of God and we must ensure that we have a fresh filling each and every day.
Lighthouses need to be lit in order to generate the light that will alert and warn those sailing near the rocks. We need to make sure that our light remains bright to warn the lost of the danger of the path they walk without the Lord, and that is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Lighthouses have a motorized gearing system to ensure that their light is seen from all directions and it must be constantly maintained. The Lord has given us an incredible body to house His light, and it must be kept in good working order through proper care and maintenance… we are His temple.
Lighthouses have highly polished lens and windows that must be kept free from dust and dirt to keep them shining brightly. We are God’s lenses to the world and it’s our job to ensure that we don’t allow the filth of the world to cloud and dim our light.
Lighthouses are oblivious to the waves that pound on them and they continue to provide their warning to lost travelers 24×7. So are we to keep our eyes on our Lord and not look down into the waves as Peter did. He started out right but let the waves and wind swirling around him distract him but he took his eyes off of the One who called Him and he began to sink. Even so, the One who called him was there to rescue him when he faltered.
Jesus knows that even though we are standing on His solid foundation, from time-to-time we are going to fail to keep our lighthouse in perfect running order. There will be times when we forget to fill the fuel tank or when we fail to keep the lens and windows free of the world’s dirt. But through all those times He is right there for us, just as He was for Peter.
I know there wasn’t anything new in this, but sometimes we just need to get back to the basics of why we are here, what we’ve been called to do and follow the master’s instructions. And while it may seem like we are not getting anything accomplished in His kingdom, just remember the lighthouse. It never knows about the ships that were alerted and prevented from crashing on the rocks. It just keeps on shining day and night, sending out its constant warning and pointing to the way home.