FOOD FOR YOUR JOURNEY
20 October
ILLUMINATION
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path
Psalm 119:105
We sometimes read a verse of Scripture and don’t really take in what it is saying. Our reading today is a case in point as there are two words that may have escaped your full attention, as it did mine! These two words are:
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Lamp
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Light
Now these words may not sound like much until you realise that they are speaking of the Holy Scriptures. Yes the very words that have come from God Himself, and for them to refer to God’s Word as a lamp and a light means that they can be used in the same manner as we use a lamp and a light in our ordinary day-to-day life. We switch on a light to dispel darkness and to illuminate an area in which or through which we wish to travel. We use a lamp to light up the path on which we are walking. They both allow us to take in what is around us, to see where we are going and prevent us from colliding with or tripping over things. Now if you translate those uses to spiritual things we can begin to see how vital the light and lamp are for our Christian walk.
Not only does the Word of God dispel the darkness of this world in which we live, but it also allows us to see clearly where we are going and which path to travel in life, and what’s more, if we hold fast onto the lamp, it prevents us tripping over every whim and fancy that litters so-called modern life with its myriad of pitfalls and philosophical thought patterns, not to mention dubious life styles, which trap and enslave so many souls. Using the lamp allows us to discern the truth, decide right from wrong and choose the correct path for our feet so that we may live Holy lives that are pleasing to our Saviour.
For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12