“This little light of mine, I’m goin’ let it shine.
This little of mine, I’m goin’ let it shine.
This little of mine, I’m goin’ let it shine.
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.”
Standing tall, singing loudly, and waving our index finger broadly, we pretended it was a lit candle as we sang “This Little Light of Mine.”
In the second verse, we’d sing, “Shine all over Dallas, I’m goin’ let it shine!”
The third verse was the best. We’d shake our heads emphatically “NO” as we sang, “Won’t let Satan (blow) it out, I’m goin’ let it shine!” Instead of singing the word “blow,” we’d puff and pantomime “blowing” out our finger candles – we loved it!
We were determined Satan was not going to blow out our light.
We were four and five years old. We had no idea what that meant.
I was six when we moved to the suburbs. I have no idea how many, or if any, of the children in my Sunday School class grew up with their “lights” burning brightly.
The candle of my life was lit at an early age, and for that, I thank God and my godly parents. The flame has never gone out, but there have been periods when it flickered dangerously low. I know that only the grace of God and the breath of His Holy Spirit fanning the tiny sparks back to life kept my candle burning.
God’s remarkable relationship with His servant Moses has always inspired and intrigued me. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Moses to have physically been in the presence of God’s shining glory.
The second time Moses was on Mount Sinai to meet with God and receive the replacement set of God’s commandments for His people, Moses returned with a brightly shining face, frightening the people of Israel. After that, Moses would leave the tented worship center with a glowing face every time he talked with God in the Tabernacle.
Moses could not hide the fact that he had been with God. His face literally, physically glowed. (Exodus 34:29-35)
I thought it was curious that Moses began wearing a veil to cover his face between his meetings with God. I assumed that the “shine” was a distraction and possibly still frightened some, so Moses covered his face. Then, I heard a pastor explain it differently.
The pastor said that Moses covered his face with a veil to cover the fading reflection of God’s glory. When the shining radiance of his face began to darken, the people of Israel knew it had been a while since Moses had been in God’s presence.
Wow! Think about that for a moment. What if we wore an indicator that told everyone how long it had been since we had been in the presence of our Lord in prayer, worship, or His Word? You know—like a gas gauge that indicates where we fall on the scale between Full and Empty. Or maybe a facial mood ring that changed shades based on our closeness or distance from God. That could be embarrassing, right?!
But maybe that is precisely what our lives tell everyone based on how brightly, dimly, or not at all our light is shining. There’s no competition between a flickering candle and a brilliant flame. It’s easy to see which sheds the most light and best dispels darkness.
Darkness does not fear a faint flicker. It knows it won’t be exposed or extinguished by a whisper of a spark. But darkness despises the light because light reveals all and banishes the dark.
When Jesus, our Savior, the Bright and Morning Star, broke through the black cloud enveloping our world, the brilliance of His presence exposed the depth of our darkness.
He was, He is, and He forevermore shall be the Light of the World.
Jesus is The Light, and He offers His light to all who will accept Him in faith believing.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV
Moses’ story answers the question, “How do I keep my light shining?”
The answer is simple: stay close to God. The more we practice the presence of God, the more brightly we shine—not just our faces but our entire being.
We practice the presence of God through our prayers, worship, Bible reading, meditating on Him, and in obedient service to Him. The closer we walk with Him, the more brightly our light shines.
The more brightly our light shines, the more clearly we show others the path to Jesus.
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Proverbs 4:18
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”*
Will you?
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3 ESV
*This Little Light Of Mine, by Harry Dixon Loes, 1920’s