Many years ago, shortly after I came to Canada, I was sitting in a church when this lovely hymn was announced. Even though I had not heard it before, I found myself singing wholeheartedly with everyone else. I have never forgotten the enthusiasm of our singing. We loved Jesus, and He was shining through us as we sang. I have the music, and when I am playing it today, I am carried away with joy and enthusiasm. Do you know the hymn? Here are some of the words:

Lord, the light of Your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Yes, Jesus is the light of the world, and how He shines in the world today is through you and me who believe in Him. He sets our hearts on fire, and we sing at the top of our lungs. One can tell that the whole congregation is getting more and more enthusiastic.

Our nation surely needs to be flooded with grace and mercy. Sadly, the world is so dark these days, perhaps even darker than when Graham Kendrick wrote this poem in 1987 — it is about to be 30 years old. That isn't so long ago. In this dark time, we need to keep shining in His reflected light.

Lord, I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance.
By the blood I may enter Your brightness.
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Isaiah 60:1-3 – Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (NIV)

What does it mean to shine for the Lord? As the poem continues, our shining comes from gazing on Jesus' kingly brightness so that our faces display Jesus' likeness.

2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. (NIV)

What does a shining face look like? Do I have one? Do you? When we know Jesus, our faces should shine with love and joy! Does our countenance reflect the love of Christ within us?

Prayer: Lord, our faces can look dull in this struggling, dark world. Please fill us with Your Holy Spirit, so that in our singing, praying, and sharing, we can shine for Jesus simply because we love Him so much. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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