“Candle on the Water”

I haven’t seen the Disney movie “Pete’s Dragon” in a long time, but there is one song from it that I remember and love. “Candle on the Water” is sung by the lighthouse keeper’s daughter as she tends the light and looks out to sea, waiting for her love to return from his journey.

“I'll be your candle on the water
My love for you will always burn
I know you're lost and drifting
But the clouds are lifting
Don't give up you'll have somewhere to turn

I'll be your candle on the water
'Till ev'ry wave is warm and bright
My soul is there beside you
Let this candle guide you
Soon you'll see a golden stream of light

A cold and friendless tide has found you
Don't let the stormy darkness pull you down
I'll paint a ray of hope around you
Circling in the air
Lighted by a prayer

I'll be your candle on the water
This flame inside of me will grow
Keep holding on you'll make it
Here's my hand so take it
Look for me reaching out to show
As sure as rivers flow
I'll never let you go
I'll never let you go
I'll never let you go...”

This past Saturday, the Point Lookout Lighthouse had its monthly open house so my boyfriend and I went to check it out and walk around the park. We were actually able to climb up into the housing where the light would have been. The view was amazing. I soaked in 360 degrees of beautiful Southern Maryland landscape and weather and we watched the birds and boaters that were out enjoying it as well.

Then my boyfriend pointed out to me the reason there was a lighthouse there. As I watched where the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay meet, he asked if I could see the shoals. It was then that I noticed the waves breaking offshore, near the point. While sailors would want to reach land, they would most definitely not want to reach it by hitting those shoals! (Since it’s supposedly haunted, there’s even a story of a sailor that drowned when his ship hit the shoals still haunting the lighthouse.) The light would have been a ray of hope as well as a beacon of caution to those approaching. It showed them the safe route, guiding and guarding them against the dangerous perils that were hidden to their view.

How much more will God do this for us! He knows the way in which we are traveling and where the peril lies. All we have to do is keep our eyes on Him and trust in His knowledge and unfailing love. He knows where the shoals in our own life lie and how to navigate around them. And as the end of the song says He will never let us go.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we’re promised any easy life. Far from it! Jesus said that we would have trials and tribulations. But it’s in those storms when the lighthouse became most important. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” The light always shines brightest when it is darkest.

My prayer for you today, friend, is that this would give you hope. Maybe you’ve been in a storm for a long time and have lost sight of the hope that the Light offers or maybe you’ve been in calm waters for long enough to forget the importance and necessity of the Light. I’ve been in both places and God had something to teach me each time as long as I was willing to listen and seek Him. Whatever the case may be, I pray today that you will look to Christ to guide your path and light the way.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan