You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9
When we were kids, in summer, we would play until almost dark. My brothers, our neighborhood friends, and I would own our quiet street on those summer evenings.
We would run, chase, and evade being caught until we could almost not see in the fading light. Our moms would tell us “home before dark”, and we scattered, just in time, each to his own home.
The porch light brought us running home every time. No matter how dark it was out, we could always find home….because of that “marvelous light”.
The dark can be a scary place. We ran home gladly to escape the dark. Charlie Hall captures that run home (to God) in his song Marvelous Light. My childhood memory is nothing in comparison to how God delivers us out of the darkness of our sin.
I resonate so deeply with the words of this song (lyrics follow). To know real shame because of hurtful choices or terrible decisions. Then to experience the forgiveness of God. To know, from His Word, that He sees us pure and lovely. It takes my breath away.
What life God gives us! To have the weight of our sin lifted off our lives through the sheer grace of God in Christ Jesus. No wonder Charlie Hall includes “arms in the air, spinning around” imagery. In the love we have as His redeemed and restored children, we lose that adult self-consciousness. All that matters is His speaking into the dark, calling us into His light, and we run to Him, as His children, full of joy.
Worship with me:
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
I once was fatherless
A stranger with no hope
Your kindness wakened me
Awakened me, from my sleep
Your love it beckons deeply
A call to come and die
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take Your life
Sin has lost its power
Death has lost its sting
From the grave You’ve risen
Victoriously
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Yeah
No more shame
My dead heart now is beating
My deepest stains now clean
Your breath fills up my lungs
Now I’m free, now I’m free
My dead heart now is beating
My deepest stains now clean
Your breath fills up my lungs
Now I’m free, now I’m free
Sin has lost its power
Death has lost its sting
From the grave You’ve risen
Victoriously
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Yeah
No more shame
No more shame
Now we show the world – Christ in you
Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light
It’s Christ in you
Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light
Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light
Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light, marvelous light
whoa-oh-yeah
whoa-oh-oh
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Into marvelous light I’m running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way
Running on the Beach, Oualidia, Morocco
Marvelous Light Written by Charlie Hall
YouTube Video – Marvelous Light – With Lyrics – Charlie Hall
YouTube Video – Marvelous Light sung by Charlie Hall Band at Passion Conference ’05