Love Letters | Instructions

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

Legos and Barbie shoes in the carpet at 2 am. Your shin slamming against an end table in the dark. And that sticker burr the dog brought in? Your screams when your foot found it in the middle of the night told even the neighbors your opinion of the dog! We’ve all experienced the pain and aggravation of stepping on, tripping over, or bashing our shins against something in the dark. The problem was not the item in the carpet or the placement of the coffee table. The problem was that we could not see it so we walked confidently into something that brought pain. If we’d had a light, we could easily have avoided it.

When God’s word is compared to a lamp for our feet and a light for our path, that’s what it means. God is eager to light the way for us, warn us about dangers in the dark, and guide us around tricky decisions and disastrous relationships. When we allow its truth to become part of us, we carry His light everywhere we go. This lamp is better than the flashlight on our iPhones because it won’t lose its charge or slip out of our hands. As we head into an unknown future, God’s word goes before us, giving us examples of people who disregarded it and the outcome of those choices. It sets boundaries around our actions so we can live with freedom, not fear. The light of God’s word points us in the direction that Jesus is going and invites us to follow Him.

Final Thought: Are you walking in the dark? Let God’s word be your flashlight and you won’t bump into things.

Prayer: Father, I can see that a lot of my pain has come from disregarding the light in your word. I haven’t let it guide my path and I carry wounds from bad decisions. Help me hide your instruction in my heart so I won’t stumble. In Jesus’ name, Amen.