Most lighthouses today are monuments to an age gone by. We are still inspired by lighthouses because they stand majestically near the water's edge with the strong beam shining over the water at night. In the days before we had radar and electronic technology, lighthouses were essential for navigation. Many a traveler and sailor were saved because a lighthouse helped the sailors find their bearing.
Did you ever wonder how those lighthouses got there or why they were built in certain locations? Most lighthouses were built based on experience. Lighthouses were built because ships had crashed in an area. When ships had to come into a harbor which had a potentially dangerous approach, lighthouses were constructed so that at night, in fog or bad weather, ships wouldn't crash.
The lighthouse was a marker which told sailors to bear right or left. Often the lighthouses were positioned to keep ships away from hidden, unseen dangers such as rocks beneath the waves.
We can compare convictions and standards in the church to lighthouses. Many convictions and standards older saints hold were based on experience and other saints who had crashed upon the rocks of this world. Often a standard or conviction came about as a result of these experiences.
The Book of Proverbs says it another way: "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set" (Proverbs 22:28). Even though the immediate application refers to the boundaries of someone's land, it can also apply to spiritual boundaries. There is a great push in the world today to remove old boundaries. Many people want to remove boundaries because they don't see the harm or the danger but, like lighthouses of the past, it often warns of dangers unseen - like rocks beneath the waves. Let's not be hasty to reject the convictions or standards; usually they are there to help prevent shipwreck. Often, if we will pray, the light of the Word will show us why the standard or conviction exists. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalms 139:105).
