Monday, February
6, 2017
Your word is
a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise
it again: I will obey your righteous regulations. I have suffered much, O Lord;
restore my life again as you promised.
Lord, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the
balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. The wicked have set their traps for me,
but I will not turn from your commandments. Your laws are my treasure; they are my
heart’s delight. I am
determined to keep your decrees to the very end. Psalm 119:105-112(NLT)
The Psalms, Israel’s hymnal,
is the longest of the Bible’s 66 books, and chapter 119 is the longest chapter,
and it is also the center of the entire holy collection we call God’s
Word. And in this holy text we find the
Psalmist highlighting the importance of paying attention to this gift God has
provided for our daily living. One
author characterized how God’s living Word is a blessing too valuable to ignore:
It shows him the way; it
prevents his stumbling over obstacles, or failing down precipices, or wandering
off into paths which would lead into danger, or would turn him away altogether
from the path to life.[ii]
A week ago, walking through our
dark house in the wee morning hours with only soft slippers on my feet, I
stubbed the same toe for the umpteenth time on the same obstacle I’ve met in
the dark more times than I want to admit!
Although I will not tell you exactly
what words nearly fell from the preacher’s lips at that precise moment,
I can tell you they weren’t pretty. And neither
was it a pretty shade of swollen black and blue on my right foot’s poor,
assaulted digit. I limped through the
entire weekend.
Now, stubbed (and possibly
broken) physical toes are a nuisance when you have to walk on them to get
anywhere. But they are merely an
inconvenience compared to the wounds we get from stumbling around in the spiritual
darkness, away from God’s light.
Let’s face it, life is very
much a rocky road, with
plenty of opportunities to be tripped-up, causing us to stumble. In the physical realm there are so many
accidents waiting to cripple and maim; there are so many diseases ready to
drain the life from your being.
But all the rocks on life’s physical road are merely a
stubbed-toe detour compared to the spiritual
boulder jumble awaiting the pilgrim travelling through life’s journey. This is why the Psalmist proclaimed that,
even though his life constantly hung in the balance, he would follow-through on
his promise to follow the light of God’s Lamp.
It kind’ve makes me glad I
smashed that toe again – no, I definitely don’t have a thing for pain – it’s
just that every now and again it’s a good thing to be reminded of what greater
damage can be done when you stumble around in the dark physically, or, worse, spiritually. And it’s so sad to think that there’s so much
light available!
For You Today
Meditating
on God’s Word and praying for God’s wisdom can prevent a lot of spiritual
broken toes!
NOTES
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