One of the most well-known missions songs in our hymnals
is the song “Send the Light.” What does it mean when we say,
“Send the Light”? What or who is the light, and how do we
“send” it anywhere?
Just like visible light can be broken into many different colors,
the “light” that we are to send can be separated into three
distinct parts.
First and most importantly, Jesus is the light of the world.
John 1:9 says, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.” Jesus, the Savior of the
World, illuminates the darkened hearts and minds of sinners
and gives them eternal life when they trust in Him.
Second, the message of the gospel is light. (see 2 Corinthians
4:4-6) The gospel is the message of Jesus. It is light because,
through the gospel, we have “the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Third, believers are called to be a light in the world. We are
children of the light (Ephesians 5:8), and we are commanded
to let our light shine. (Matthew 5:16) We are a light in this
world because, through us, God proves the sinfulness of the
lost and their rebellion in rejecting salvation.
What does it mean then to “send the light”? It is whenever
Christians deliver the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
those who are in spiritual darkness. When we pray that God
will send the light, we are asking God to send us and use us to
turn people from their spiritual blindness so that they will see
the truth and trust Christ as their Savior. This world is full of
darkness; therefore, we must be the light that God commands
us to be.