Your Word is a lamp for my feet

My Father’s command (Word) is a bright lamp which I must keep burning brightly at all times and one that will correct and guide me each day. If I allow the lamp to fade or worst of all extinguish then I will allow my feet to take me down a darker path, which is much harder to navigate and one fraught with danger. 

Source: Seeking Jesus

During my daily bible reading I recently arrived at Psalm 119 which many will know is the longest chapter in the entire bible.  As I progressed through the Psalm I realised that I was losing concentration and that I was not really absorbing the scripture, when I got to the following well known verse; Psalms 119:105 'Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path'. I suddenly jolted back into concentration and I felt God start to put a number of different thoughts into my mind.  The first thing that I felt my mind asking was; why is the word a ‘lamp’ for my feet, why not my ‘mind’? As I thought about this some more I felt that God was trying to tell me something but at that point I was not exactly sure what it was. Over the following few weeks God started to unveil what He wanted me to learn through further scripture, much of which came from the book of Proverbs which followed on from Psalms in my bible reading. This emphasised to me, the importance of reading God’s Word every single day.  I could so easily have denied myself the opportunity for God to communicate with me if I had not read His Word.  If I want God to talk with me then there has to be two way communications, otherwise there is no relationship.

Proverbs 4:26-27 ‘Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil’. When I read these verses I felt that God was answering my question about the mind.  I had asked why Psalm 119:105 had referred to feet rather than the mind however God was telling me through these verses that by ‘giving careful thought to the paths for your feet’ that the mind actually controls the direction in which I decide to go.  Giving careful thought comes from the mind, which therefore means that I decide which path I want my feet to take and therefore which direction I am going. The scripture however goes further and warns me that I need to keep on a straight path in order to keep me from evil. This is particularly significant because I know that ‘I cannot hide anything for God’; Proverbs 5:21 ‘For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths’.

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It makes sense that if my mind determines my decisions and therefore the direction I decide to take, then I must ensure that I guard my mind at all times. Easier said than done you may say however we must ensure that we have the full armor of God on constantly and this includes the ‘sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17). God’s Word shows us how we can protect ourselves: Proverbs 6:20-23 ‘My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life’.  My Father’s command (Word) is therefore a bright lamp which I must keep burning brightly at all times and if I do it will correct and guide me each day. If I allow the lamp to fade or worst of all extinguish then I will allow my mind and consequently my feet to take me down a darker path which is much harder to navigate and one fraught with danger.  This is where sin is waiting eagerly to pounce; Genesis 4:7 ‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’ 

Without any reservation we should slam the door in the face of sin by shining the bright light of Jesus right in its face.  Let the Word of God be our lamp. Think of reading the bible like a set of re-chargeable batteries.  Each time we read the Word of God we are re-charging the batteries and therefore giving them more power, the greater the power the brighter the light.  Conversely, if we do not read the Word of God we are allowing the power in our batteries to decrease. The Word of God really is a lamp for our feet because it not only protects us and gives us direction but as we have seen, we need it to ensure that we do not allow the power in our batteries to diminish or run out. Surely, this emphasises the importance of coming into the presence of God each and every day and reading the bible? 

As we have seen above, the good news is that we have protection in our lives whilst we are on our earthly journey, if we choose it. There is however even better news!; we will not need to worry about our lamps dimming or going out when we get to heaven because we will not need them!; Revelation 21:23 ‘The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp’ Amen. 

Father I thank you that you protect me each and every day with your Word.  I thank you that you light up my paths in the darkness and I thank you for Jesus who is the light of the World. May you guide my paths always until I come to be with you in heaven where your glory will shine forever. Amen

Author: Gary O’Neill 

May God bless and enrich your life

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