“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.
