Seeing the Horizon

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

When I used to read this verse it gave me a wonderful visual of how the Word is a light for our journey, and how with It we can have this bright light shining the way as we walk. However that's not really what it says does it? I used to picture this passage as a way to show me that we can have a clear view ahead so long as we have and consult His Word, much like Cathan is casting his vision towards the horizon in the photograph. However that's not what it says does it?

It takes me back to a time earlier this year as we were camping. The sun set, the cold came in, and together, all five of us, we set out on our nighttime walk. I took and lit our Coleman lantern, and we were off. The sky was clear, but it was dark, very dark! In fact, after we walked along the beach and began to take the trails through the woods, the lantern wasn't exactly lighting up the town!

However what it did do was become a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. We needed it to take each step; without it we were practically blind. If I really used it to the best of my ability I may be able to see 20 to 30 feet ahead of me, but beyond that, it was a mystery, a dark empty space of uncertainty. Even as an adult, I quickly realized as we walked further into the woods how dependant I really was on this lamp.

Likewise, His Word isn't going to give us all the answers we want when it comes to the great unknown called the future. We may know some ultimate Truths, like I knew that eventually the journey would come to an end, and I would be back in the camper. However, during the journey, much like the lamp, we need to lean on Him every step of the way. He will guide our steps ... one at a time.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

The visual I have now of this verse isn't quite as blinding, but it's far more comforting. A God that lights up the horizon is powerful indeed, but a God that is next to me, guiding me, holding my hand every step of the way, and making me aware of only what I need to as it comes up is not just powerful, but amazingly loving and personal. What a God we have ...

Taking one step at a time,
~Matthew