Winter 1985
Genesis 1:16
Charles Haun

“And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.”

God’s lamps vary greatly one from another. One star differs from another star in glory (I Corinthians 15:41). There are big lamps and small lamps. Each will serve very well in its place. The smallest lamp can be as much of a saviour of life as the greatest light house.

The Amazon River is the mightiest in the world. At its mouth it spreads out a yawning 200 miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Thousands of miles up stream, the Amazon still ranges from one to three miles across, tearing loose land and trees along its banks as it flows with such force that the best of swimmers cannot survive it.

As missionaries, my family and I spent many, many hours traveling thousands of miles up and down the Amazon in a houseboat. On one occasion in our travels, as we were moored along the bank in relatively gently water, the river rose during the night due to an accumulation of rain farther up river. The moorings pulled loose, and the houseboat was set adrift with us aboard and asleep. I awakened and discovered the situation. Total blackness and the distance from the shore prevented my having any point of orientation. The boat’s spotlight could not cut through the starless night to any point of land. The great half-mile beam of light was insufficient. There was no way I could determine proper direction. The anchor would not hold. I was helpless, even with the engines on, not daring to give them even sufficient power to hold against the stream. For once in motion, it was impossible to tell the flow of the stream. The danger was to slam the boat, or be slammed, into an iron-like hardwood tree and spring a leak.

The occupants of the hut near which the houseboat had been moored were awakened by the sound of the boat’s engines. Realizing what my situation was and its danger, the man of the house got out of bed, lit a candle and stood with it on the shore. That candle’s light was unable to reveal the boat to the man. But that was not the candle’s purpose. I saw the candle’s light in the midst of deep darkness, although I was almost a mile away. And that was the candle’s purpose. It gave me the orientation and direction I needed. It saved us from certain damage, and possible death. Just a little candle!

Don’t be so much concerned about the size of your lamp. The smallest can save lives. Just let it shine! Will you? God has placed you in your firmament to shine. There may be lights greater than yours. But they may not be in the right place at the right time. If the houseboat’s spotlight was on the shore, it could have served as the candle did. But only the candle was on the shore. Be where God puts you and SHINE!

Editor’s Note

This homily on Genesis 1:16 is an excerpt from Charles Haun’s book on the first five chapters of Genesis.