Light

 May 27, 2023

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

—Psalm 119:105 

I’ve known and quoted this verse for as long as I can remember, but haven’t always appreciated its significance. If we are going on a trip, Linda wants to know the destination, what route we’re taking, how long it will take, and other assorted bits of information. Most of us are like that. Hitting the road just to see where it ends is not usually the way we want to live. We like to see more than just the next step ahead.

One step ahead…that’s what this Scripture verse offers. The Bible isn’t a searchlight that illumines the entire road ahead. It’s a lamp that shines one step at a time. I had been praying about going to Cuba again. An opportunity came to attend the wedding of a young woman I had met a few years ago, so I decided to go for it; wedding plus ministry opportunity—a double win for me. I bought my airline tickets. Then the wedding date got changed and I couldn’t make it, so God narrowed my focus to ministry alone. Another step illumined.

Last night, I got a text from one of the pastors I’ve worked with over the years, asking me to teach on a specific subject, one about which I am the least of the experts. This morning as I was reading and praying, an entire series of lessons on this subject just opened before me. The lamp of God’s Word shone on another step. There will be more. Between now and the day I leave, further steps will unfold. Life with Jesus is funny that way. We know the ultimate destination, but he only reveals the path one step at a time.

If you’re wanting the heavens to part and your future laid bare before you, that’s the kind of thing fortune tellers do; you’ll not get it with Jesus. If the entire course were given to us, two things would happen: we would say, “No thanks, Jesus,” because there are some paths he has for us we would not choose for ourselves. And if the whole plan were laid before us, there would be no need for faith, which is central to the Gospel. I’m grateful tonight that God gives just enough light for me to take the next step, but not so much that I don’t have to trust him.