105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple. Psalms119:105-130
Have you ever walked in the veld with a torch?
Or think about driving your car at night...
The torchlight/headlight only illuminates a few meters in front of you. To see further, you have to walk or drive forward.
God gives us His Word as a lamp to light our life-pathway.
Many people read the Bible and give it up as a lost cause when they don't find what they were looking for.
Part of the problem is that they don't understand how God's light works... The truth is that we don't get to see the whole road even before we take the first step - we have to take steps in the walk of faith. There is light for the pathway in front of us, but to see more, we must walk on the path.
Often when people come to me complaining that God isn't speaking to them, I will ask: "So what was the last thing you felt God was saying to you??" People will respond with answers like: "I need to reprioritise my life" or "I need to forgive someone" or "I need to count my blessings more often." Then I'll ask them: "So, have you done it yet?" Almost every time they sheepishly admit that they haven't!! It's like standing on the path and complaining about a torch that doesn't shine further ahead or shine around a corner, when all that is needed is to take a few steps.
Again, this tells us something about God.
God _chooses_ to give us lamplight rather than total light. We learn to walk in relationship and trust with Him. Our lives work best when we use His light for every step of the way - when we have total light, we quickly forget about Him and become our own gods.
As you you take the next step, be assured of this, God will light up the next bit of the road for you - just learn to listen to His Word.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
