Light for the Path

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!  Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. (Psalm 119:105-109 ESV).

 

I have often used a lantern of some sort to light my way in the darkness when I’ve found myself outdoors. I’ve noticed a great difference between a “lantern” and a “flashlight” as the latter allows me to cast a beam of light much further than a lantern. However, the flashlight is not as useful in lighting the actual next step along the way. Perhaps that’s because my curiosity keeps me focused on the distant rather than the near. That can be a problem in some instances.

 

Our reading today is taken from Psalm 119. It is one long celebration of God’s Word. The psalmist celebrates the eternal truth and reliability of God’s Word, calling it a lamp for his feet. Now, this is not like stadium lights, so bright that they seem to change darkness to light. Instead, this is more like my lantern, for moving along step by step. This light illuminates the step I am taking right now, and then the next one. Knowing God’s Word does not make us God. It reveals the love, faithfulness, and power of the God we depend on. It teaches an obedience that gives us confidence to walk with God on dark pathways.

 

In this digital age, instant information makes daily tasks easier. Google can show us the fastest route for a trip. YouTube can show us how to hang drywall or plant a tree. But only God’s Word can lead us in the paths that God approves and chooses for us. Thankfully, on our path through life we have a light that won’t fail: God’s Word. Don’t go without your lantern through the way that you have been given to walk through this life!