Lamp and Light

A Gospel singer named Amy Grant was popular when I was a kid.  One of her big hits was a song called Thy Word.  The lyrics of the chorus to Thy Word quote Psalm 119: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path.”

When I first listened to Grant’s song, the lyric didn’t make sense.  My thoughts went something like this: “Why do you need light on your feet and how can words be a light?  If you are in the dark, you should carefully walk to the closest wall and turn the light on.”  The Psalm writer’s symbolic language was lost on my grade school sensibilities.

As I grew older, I learned that flashlights and flood lamps were hard to find in ancient Israel.  In fact, they didn’t exist.  In the Psalm writer’s day, light was carried on candles and torches.  Carrying a light allowed a person to see where they were walking, illuminating a short distance in front of them.

That is the type of image of scripture the Psalm writer is trying to create.  We carry God’s word with us and it illuminates the path right in front of us.  We take steps of faith, trusting that the light will continue lighting our way.

As you approach this week, read God’s word in a way that allows you to take it with you.  You might even try memorizing a short passage of scripture.  As the words of the Bible become a part of you, ask how they apply to your life today.  You can take God’s word with you to work and allow it to inform your relationship with co-workers.  God’s word can come to mind during your family time this evening. 

The Bible is a lamp for your feet.  Let it light the path that is right in front of you today.