Hymns of the Church – Sunlight in my Heart – 25 July 2023, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

  

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OR God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

 

            Here is a hymn that appeals to the heart filled with the Light of Christ. Both the tune and lyrics are the work of Mrs. M.T. Haughey in 1886. The hymn precedes the publication of another beautiful hymn entitled There is Sunshine in My Soul (1887) by one year.

 

Sunlight in my Heart

 

There is sunlight on the hilltop,

There is sunlight on the sea;

And the golden beams are sleeping

On the soft and verdant lea;

But a richer light is filling

All the chambers of my heart;

For Thou dwellest there, my Savior

And ’tis sunlight where Thou art.

Refrain:

Oh, the sunlight! beautiful sunlight!

Oh, the sunlight in the heart!

Jesus’ smile can banish sadness;

It is sunlight in the heart.

 

In the dust I leave my sadness,

As the garb of other days,

For Thou robest me with gladness,

And Thou fillest me with praise;

And to that bright home of glory

Which Thy love hath won for me,

In my heart and mind ascending,

My glad spirit follows Thee.

 

Loving Savior, Thou hast bought me,

And my life, my all, is Thine;

Let the lamp Thy love hath lighted

To Thy praise and glory shine;

And to that bright home of glory

Which Thy love hath won for me,

In my heart and mind ascending,

My glad spirit follows Thee.

 

There is sunlight on the hilltop, There is sunlight on the sea; And the golden beams are sleeping On the soft and verdant lea; But a richer light is filling All the chambers of my heart; For Thou dwellest there, my Savior And ’tis sunlight where Thou art. In every venue of God’s Creation there is sunlight, but measured by the need of times of darkness to provide rest for the soul. There is an abundance of sunlight on the hills, pasturelands, seas and every place that is exposed to the heavens. But there is a more lively and vibrant Sunlight than even those physical examples cited above – the Sunlight of Christ in the heart of the believer. Christ is Light, and wherever He abides, is showered with radiant beams of Light. When we obscure that Light that is in our hearts by our ungodly thoughts or deeds, there remains only darkness. But every hidden chamber of the Christian heart emits those resplendent beams of sunlight that reflect the presence of the Lord therein.

 

In the dust I leave my sadness, As the garb of other days, For Thou robest me with gladness, And Thou fillest me with praise; And to that bright home of glory Which Thy love hath won for me, In my heart and mind ascending, My glad spirit follows Thee. Our bodies are composed of the dust of the earth to which they most certainly shall return. That body of dust is left behind at death to be buried with our tear bottles and our sorrows. But the glorified body which has been purchased for us by the Lord Jesus Christ is robed in righteous joy and ecstasy beyond the Gates of Splendor. In that room of dying appointed for us all, we shall fall asleep to the miseries of this world and suddenly be awakened to the angelic host who has been appointed to escort the saint to the place prepared for him by His Lord. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:52) Just as the stalk of grain ascends above the soil to reach for the Light, so does the Christian soul ascend in its hunger for the Light of Christ. “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” (Psalm 62:1-2)

 

            Loving Savior, Thou hast bought me, And my life, my all, is Thine; Let the lamp Thy love hath lighted To Thy praise and glory shine; And to that bright home of glory Which Thy love hath won for me, In my heart and mind ascending, My glad spirit follows Thee. What do you consider your gross worth to be? Is your net worth measured by the chemical elements of the soil of which your body is created? Not at all. The soul is worth far more than the physical components of which it is composed! If you are of the elect of God, your soul is valued beyond any earthly means to measure. It is purchased by the blood sacrifice of the only Begotten Son of God. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20) Though the body is merely the means of transportation through this life, the transport nonetheless should reflect the quality of that which is being transported – the soul of man, both of which belong to God. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2-3) That is our true HOME!

 

            Refrain:
Oh, the sunlight! beautiful sunlight! Oh, the sunlight in the heart! Jesus’ smile can banish sadness; It is sunlight in the heart. Do we have that sunlight in our hearts? Is its gleaming rays obscure or darkened by clouds of sin and base thoughts? Our righteousness is as a sweet savor to our Lord and He smiles upon us those radiant beams of sunlight. 

 

I end this little devotion with the sweet benediction of Israel pronounced at the conclusion of our worship services: 

 

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HE Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.   (Numbers 6:24-27)