‘Rehema ya Baba yetu‘ is the 44th hymn in the Nyimbo za Injili book by Evangel Publishing House in Nairobi, Kenya. The book’s publisher aims for it to be a medium of blessings to individuals and people (congregations) who desire to worship and praise God at home, in educational institutions, and churches.
Rehema ya Baba yetu Lyrics [Nyimbo za Injili 44]
1 Rehema ya Baba yetu,
Yang’aza nchi yake;
Lakini ametuweka
Tuwe walinzi wake.
Kiitikio Taa zenu na ziwake,
Nuru zenu tumeni;
Msafiri asizame,
Mwokoeni majini.
2 Giza ya dhambi twaona,
Mawimbi twasikia;
Wengine wanatafuta
Nuru za kutulia.
3 Taa zitengenezeni,
Mwokoeni msafiri;
Aangukaye majini,
Na asife gizani.
Equivalent Hymn (English Translation):
Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
1 Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
From His lighthouse evermore;
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.
Refrain Let the lower lights be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.
2 Dark the night of sin has settled,
Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.
3 Trim your feeble lamp, my brother!
Some poor seaman, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.
Background
Composition
The hymn ‘Rehema ya Baba yetu’ (‘Brightly beams our Father’s mercy’) was written by Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876). He was a well-known American gospel music composer, a prolific writer of hymns and gospel songs, a conductor, and a singer.
Philip was inspired by a sermon by the famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Moody told a story about a ship struggling to reach a harbor during a stormy night. The ship could see the lighthouse (representing God), but the “lower lights” along the shore, which guided ships through the narrow channel, were out. Therefore, the ship crashed.
Moody thus used this story to emphasize that while God provides the “main light,” we, as Christians, have a responsibility to be “lower lights” to guide others to safety. Essentially, the story tells us that God is the main lighthouse, but we as Christians are to be the smaller lights that guide people to safety.
Brightly beams our Father’s mercy
Therefore, the hymn’s message is very clear: we are called to be beacons of light in a dark world (Matthew 5:14-16), helping others find their way to God (Matthew 5:16 Devotional). It emphasizes the importance of Christian service and the responsibility to share the Gospel.
