Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119: 105 (ESV)
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…. That is the way I learned the verse as a child and the way my children learned it – same meaning just a different way of saying it. Then Amy Grant came out with a song about this verse in 1984 when I was teen and I sang along with her over and over again. Chances are, most people are familiar with these words, even if they didn’t grow up in church. It is one of the most popular verse of the Bible. Sometimes we grow up saying and singing these familiar passages without really ever giving much thought to what they say. The verses that precede vs105 are pretty important to the message that was being conveyed:
I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path.” Psalm 119: 101-104 ESV
The author knew that the Word is a guidebook for us to keep us on the right path. When we follow that path, we are less likely to go down a wrong path that leads us away from God. The Word of God is the law, but also grace. It is truth, and a life preserver. It helps usknowthe way, but we must still choosethe way. Obedience is the key to staying on the right path.
When we are camping or out in the woods in the dark of night, a lamp is only going to light the next step. You can hold it at arm’s length, but you will not be able to see all the way to the end of the path. One step at a time. That is all God gives us. He wants us to trust Him for the next step as we go, just like we trust the light of the lamp for the next step on a dark path. Trusting Him, being obedient to Him and pouring His Word into our lives will take us all the way, one step at a time. The path changes. It dips and winds and may even drop off a cliff here and there, but God and his Word never changes. We can find direction and safety in Him for every step of the way.
Scripture to Claim:
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. Psalm 119:169-170
