“There shone from heaven a great light round about me..... I could not see for the glory of that light.” (Acts 22:6-116And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. (Acts 22:6‑11))
LORD, let the glory of that light
Which shone round Saul, shine o’er us too;
To blind us to each other sight,
To glorify the good and true.
As like to one who boldly dared,
On the bright noon-day sun to gaze;
With eye unshrinking, forehead bared,
Uncovered to the burning blaze.
Who, when he turned his eyes away
From off the too resplendent sight,
Still saw before him, night and day,
The glories of that wondrous light.
Still saw where’er he turned his eyes,
First sight at morn, last view at night;
New ever-brightening suns arise,
Shedding o’er all their dazzling light.
So, Saviour, let us gaze on Thee,
Thy matchless grace, Thy wondrous love;
So close our eyes to vanity,
Fill us with gleams from heaven above.
Lord, keep us as we journey on,
Forever walking in that light;
And give us strength to gaze upon
The unveiled glory of Thy light.
That so, e’en the’ unknown to us,
Our face may catch the wondrous rays;
And light from Thee reflected here,
May still return to Thee in praise.
That “Christ,” in all we do and say,
Before the world may brightly shine;
That self be mortified each day,
And each desire die to Thine.
So with the power of Thy love
Blind us to every earthly sight,
That ever in us from above
May shine “the glory of that light.”
But if in asking thus, perchance
Unknown, we ask some bitter loss—
The severing of some earthly tie,
The raising of some heavy cross—
Still help us, Lord, amidst it all,
At any cost, to follow Thee!
And let us never further fall
Than where Thy glory we can see!
A.S.O.