A Light and a Lamp: Reading God’s Word Daily
As a child, I memorized David’s words in Psalm 119:105 where he writes, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” (CSB)
I always imagined God using His Word like a lighthouse beacon or a floodlight to illuminate the path ahead of me. I thought that David meant that God would show, through His Word, a clear plan for my future, then, I started leading trips to the Holy Land.
On my first trip there, I took our group to a store that sells antiquities from the 1st Century. One popular item for group members to purchase is an oil lamp.
These lamps are not very big. The holes in the lamps that provide illumination are not very large (they’re about the size of a dime).
People in David’s day and later would tie the lamps to their feet using leather straps. The lamps provided enough light for them to take the next step.
Learning about these lamps gave me a new understanding of David’s words in the Psalm. God does not illuminate yards ahead of us into the future. He uses His Word to provide enough light for us to take the next step.
As we read the Word of God each day, He grants us the direction and illumination to take the next step for that day. Daily Bible intake and applying God’s Word to our lives helps us to take multiple steps towards His will for our lives.
When we focus on living each day in reliance upon Him, exercising our faith to take the next step ahead, God grows us in our faith. Looking back, we can see how He’s guided us each step to lead us on a long journey towards Christ.
Perhaps you are reading this and are living in a season where you’re seeking God’s guidance for your life. You might want to see 400 yards ahead of where you are.
Trust the Lord to use His Word to light the next step for you to take. When we follow Christ, through His Word, step-by-step, we become more reliant upon Him and exercise and grow our faith.
Are you seeking God’s will? Read God’s Word. It will be a lamp and light in your life.
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Tim is the Director of the Global Center for Youth Ministry and Associate Professor for Youth Ministry & Missions at Anderson University. He is lead pastor/planter of Mosaic Church of Anderson. Tim is also the author of Engaging Generation Z (Kregel Academic), No Better Gospel (Seeds Publishing Group), and the author and editor of Navigating Student Ministry (B&H Academic). His comments do not reflect the views of his employers and are his own personal views on various subjects.
