Thy Word is a Lamp

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119

We have all been there, it’s late, the house is dark, and you find yourself creeping your way back to bed, after visiting a bathroom that now seems a mile away.  It’s amazing how everything in your house seems to move in the night.  Those objects and landmarks that you were so sure of, seem to be just out of reach.  Without a light, inevitable you trip, fall, or step wrong; even the most well-traveled path becomes difficult to navigate.  How much more the path that you have no knowledge of?  How much more a path that you have never traveled before?

             Every person on this earth is a traveler to eternity.  We none know how long, or short, our journey may be; no more than we know which day will be our last.  The uncertainty of tomorrow is a darkness in and of itself.  The day to day: what, when, where, and how weighs on all of us.  We are constantly downloading information, analyzing, running a risk/reward analysis, to hopefully produce a satisfactory course of action.  This could be for something as simple as where to buy milk on your way home; or as difficult as deciding a career path.  Like a toddler taking his or her first steps, we are ever teetering on discovery and failure.  We live in a world of uncertainty and trying to wade through it produces anxiety (to say the least).  In addition to the darkness that is the uncertainty of tomorrow, there is another darkness, the uncertainty of the soul.  One could have their whole life planned out, making all the right decisions at all the right times.  They could be saving, preparing, and acting just as they should.  Life could be perfect on the outside, but inside, there is darkness and unrest.  When you are out of fellowship with God, it invites sin into your life.  This brings darkness and uncertainty to the soul; outwardly everything may seem to be in its proper place, but inwardly that soul is stumbling and tripping every step of the way.  As we are travelers to eternity in a world full of darkness, its stands to reason that we need a light to guide our way.  God has provided that for us.  He has not only given us the light, but he has given us the way.  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  Jesus is the map, the compass, and the navigator.  He is the light “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.”  God does not expect those who would serve Him to have it all figured out, he just wants you to trust Him.  He is not looking for ability, he wants willingness.  The scripture tells us that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”  Jesus Christ came down from heaven and took on mortal flesh.  He was the first sanctified man and live this life an example that we should follow, and he did not leave us without help.  He was the light of the world while walking on earth, and he is the light of the world today. 

This is accomplished through the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.  A Comforter who can live within a repentant soul.  This Comforter acts in the name of Jesus (rather is Jesus himself) and will light your way.  We live in a blessed day: we have the Word of God in every sense.  In the sense of the Word left on record (i.e. the Bible), in the sense of the Word that lived in mortal flesh, Jesus the incarnate; and finally, in the sense of the Word that can dwell within us (the Holy Ghost).  Truly, “thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  If the Word is not your light today, it can be.  You don’t have to travel in darkness.