Hymn
Let There Be Light
WORDS: Ryan Cornett, 2021
MUSIC: Ryan Cornett, 2021
TUNE: LUX EVANGELII (C.M.D.)
1.
“Let there be light,” the Maker speaks,
And darkness flies away.
The morn is new as grace descends,
Benighted heart sees day;
What gladness fills the joyful eye
As dawn of mercy breaks;
From deathly slumber unto life,
The ransomed soul awakes.
(Genesis 1:3, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Ephesians 5:14)
2.
The oil burned in heaven's lamp
That cut through sin's thick night
Flowed freely from the Savior's veins,
Himself, the wick alight;
Yea, trimmed and soaked, the off'ring lit
By heat of holy wrath—
The perfect sacrifice aflame—
Revealed the righteous path.
(John 1:4-5, Isaiah 53:10, Leviticus 6:12-13)
3.
Upon that visage few may find,
The born-again shall gaze;
Once lost and darksome, gleaming bright,
Beheld for endless days;
So blazes Life amidst the gloom,
For Christ in radiance beamed;
From darkness, light shall ever shine
On all who stand redeemed.
(Isaiah 60:19-20, 1 John 3:2, Revelation 21:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
About the song
Let There Be Light was born from meditating on 2 Corinthians 4:6, a verse that has long held a special place in my heart. In it, the apostle Paul draws a striking parallel between God's first command at creation, "Let there be light,"" and His regenerating work in the human heart through the Gospel of Christ.
To explore that connection, I built the hymn around a structured movement: from the dawn of creation, to the cross where Christ became the Light for us, to the glory of beholding His face eternally. Before writing, I mapped out a field of words and themes surrounding light and darkness, drawing out both theological depth and poetic imagery.
My hope is that believers will see afresh the divine thread that runs from the first “light” to the light that now shines in our hearts through Christ. And I pray that the Holy Spirit may even use these words to awaken those still in darkness, calling them to repentance and the radiant hope of salvation.