Stand & Shine

You stand by the shore at the edge of the sea,
You see a flicker in the dark—what could it be?
A storm is raging; the wild wind, like a lion, roars,
As waves, like mountains, crash on jagged shores.

The night is dark; you can barely see your hand,
Let alone if you’re a ship, steer yourself to land.
There it is again—a flicker in the night;
Then suddenly, the dark is pierced by brilliant light.

The night is illumined, and you see ships fight the waves,
While the storm tries to send them to watery graves.
And off in the distance, on the rock, there stands
A lighthouse bravely guiding the ships to land.

On a small island, it stands apart from the rest,
Rising high, standing tall, and doing its best.
It stands against the storm to shine its light,
So all the lost ships can escape the night.

There it shines brighter than the storm can rage and roar,
Guiding those once thought lost safely to shore.
Against the wind and waves, it stands with determination,
Rooted in the rock—its support, its foundation.

There it stands, undaunted by the hurricane,
Unmoved by the wind, the waves, and the rain.
Unmoved, undaunted, it stands and shines,
And you will be like that lighthouse at times.

The world is a storm of fierce winds and dark skies,
A sea, an ocean of confusion and lies.
Some don’t know their Savior or how to reach Him;
Some don’t know how or if they can be free of sin.

The devil is a cunning beast—sly and discreet,
And he has done well to spread darkness and deceit:
To cover Christ’s light, to hide it from view,
And to mock and shame those who dare to shine, too.

He has made life a bitter storm, a troubled sea,
So he can steal our souls for all eternity.
He watches and waits, always ready to advance
At the slightest weakness, given any chance.

Ready to drag them into the wuthering waves,
Ready to sink them into watery graves.
Many are the distraught souls lost at sea,
Crying out for light—a desperate plea.

They are lost, helpless, and hopeless without the light;
They need something, someone, to pierce the night.
Do you remember when you were lost at sea?
Do you remember your cry, your desperate plea?

Do you remember when you were at the waves’ command?
Do you remember trying to fight, trying to reach land?
Do you remember being lost, a hopeless case?
Do you remember the storms you had to face?

Do you remember that darkness, that desperation, that fear?
Do you remember when the storm was all you could hear?
Do you remember the growing storm, the wroth waves, the endless night?
Do you remember the first person to shine their light?

Do you remember how they stand and shine,
Against the terrible darkness, your only lifeline?
They were stark against the darkness, apart from the rest,
Rising high, standing tall, doing their best.

They did stand in the storm; they did shine their light,
So that your lost ships could escape the night.
They shone brighter than the storm could rage and roar,
Guiding you to the Redeemer, guiding you to shore.

Against the wind and waves, they stood with determination,
By rooting themselves in the rock—the Redeemer, their foundation.
There they stand, undaunted by the hurricane,
Unmoved by the wind, the waves, the rain
Unmoved, undaunted, they did stand and shine,
Guiding you back to your home divine.

Despite all the devil did to hide their light,
They did stand and shine; they did fight.
They did stand and shine, hoping to save,
At least one soul from the wrathful wind and waves.

For one soul, they rose above the storm; they fought, and they stood.
For one soul, they shined; they burned all that they could.
They did stand and shine, for one lost ship, for one strayed sheep.
They fought with all their strength, all their might, to keep.

Their lighthouse burning, flaming, shining bright,
For that one soul, for you alone, they did fight.
Now that you’re safely on land, look and see:
All those struggling, and remember, “That once was me.”

Are you going to let them sink, or is it now your turn?
To stand and shine, to let your lighthouse burn?
Hold on to Christ fiercely as you stand and shine,
Against the devil’s darkness, be others’ lifeline.

Now you shine brighter than the storm could rage and roar,
Guiding others to the Redeemer, guiding others to shore.
Against the wind and waves, you stand with determination,
By rooting yourself in the rock—the Redeemer, your foundation.

There you stand with Christ, undaunted by the hurricane,
Unmoved by the wind, the waves, the rain.
Unmoved, undaunted, apart from the world, stand and shine,
Guiding others back to their home divine.

Despite all the devil will do, stand tall;
Do not let the storm shake you; do not fall.
Stand and shine bright, with the hope to save,
At least one soul from the wrathful wind and waves.

For one person, rise up out of the sea; fight, and stand.
For one person, shine for as long as you can.
Stand and shine, for one lost ship, for one strayed sheep.
Fight with all your strength, all your might, to keep.

Your lighthouse burning, flaming, shining bright,
For that one soul, stand against the storm and fight.
For the worth of a soul is not something you can measure;
They are a priceless jewel, an eternal treasure.

For that is why Christ, despite the pain, came;
Why, for centuries, prophets told of Him and proclaimed.
He multiplied the bread; He calmed the storms of Galilee.
He was the first to heal the sick, to walk upon the sea.

He was the first to fight the wind and the waves,
For one soul, He conquered death and rose from the grave.
For one lost ship, for one strayed sheep,
On Calvary’s cross, He fought to keep.

From the bitter cup, He drank willingly,
As He prayed and bled in Gethsemane.
The reason that pain and suffering He chose,
The reason that from earth and death He rose.

The reason sinners He blessed and He taught,
The reason that on the cross He bled and on His knees fought,
The reason that He let Himself be reviled,
Was His love for each of us, each soul and child.

We may be the lighthouse, but the light that we shine is His.
And the light is the love to each of us He freely gives.
So when you are trapped in sin, the devil’s prison,
Remember, the worth of a soul is why Christ was risen.

And although we stand apart, He stood alone.
He is the reason we can go back to our heavenly home.
So come and rejoice, let His light shine through you,
And guide back His children to all that is true.

When we come, He gives us a flicker from His flame,
So we can bring all His children to His name.
We, the lighthouses, are but tools that hold
His light that will gather His sheep, His fold.

One flicker, two flickers, a thousand more,
Are the lighthouses guiding others to shore.