GCC Blog

A Lamp and a light by Hayley Chipper

Your word is a lamp to my feet,
    And a light to my path.
    PSALM 119:105

 

I’m sure this verse is familiar to most of you - I know I have seen it in the opening pages of almost every bible I have read. I was reflecting on this the other day and asked myself “What does this actually mean?” What does it mean for God’s word to be a lamp to my feet? How is it light to my path?

 

 

I thought about what these words meant. 

I came up with words like:

 brightness

 guidance

illumination

 beneficial

 advantageous

And then concepts such as:

under the light of the full moon 
lighting the way in the darkness

helping to read something 
lack of eye strain 

I’m sure there are many more definitions, but these really got me thinking. This verse clearly states that the word of God is a lamp and a light. And then it hit me - this is what the bible is to us! How blessed we are to have this guidance. Our path before us is lit up, and we can see where we are going - because we have the word of God. Our darkness is now light - because we have the word of God. We can see clearly and difficulties can be illuminated - because we have the word of God.

 

And this got me asking another question - how do I view the word of God? What do I really think of my bible? How do I treat it? How do I view reading it? Do I realise the power of these words that I read within the pages? 

 

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. HEBREWS 4:12

 

    The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. PSALM 19:7-8
 

I loved reading these descriptions. My Bible isn’t just another book filled with many words, but it is powerful. It is living. It divides, and it discerns. It is perfect and sure. It can make wise. It is pure, and it enlightens.

 

Wow!

 

After reading these and thinking about my view on the Scriptures, I turned back to my original question - how do I view the word of God?

 

Do I realise how useful it is for my daily walk as a Christian? Do I fully grasp the extent that it can help and equip me? (2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17)

 

Do I look to these words for the purpose of gaining hope? (ROMANS 15:4)

 

Do I meditate on these words day and night? (JOSHUA 1:8)

 

Do I live by these words and absorb them as my spiritual food? (MATTHEW 4:4)

 

Do I use it as a weapon to fight the attacks of the enemy? (EPHESIANS 6:17)

 

Do I let these words decide what I believe about God, myself, and the world around me? (TITUS 2:1)

 

These are all good questions, and as I wrote each one, I found myself convicted about how I view these holy words which I am so privileged to have access to. These words are incredibly special, and I don’t ever want to take them for granted. 

I want to pray the same prayer of the psalmist, asking for God to “open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (PSALM 119:18). I want to be like the Bereans who checked everything they heard and were taught against the words of Scripture (ACTS 17:11-12). I want to know God’s truths so well that I am ready to preach them both in and out of season (2 TIMOTHY 4:2-4). 

 

When instructing the people of Israel, Moses talks to them about making the word of God a lifestyle choice, about surrounding themselves with these truths and then passing them on diligently to their children. Is this what we’re doing? I was inspired by a lady whose story I read a few weeks ago. She had been a Christian for a long time and was married with two young children. She read the bible primarily on her phone, and would often do so when waiting for her kids at the park or at school. One day she realised that her children, looking on at her habits, were only seeing her looking at her phone - they didn’t know what she was doing on there, and would probably assume that she was on Facebook or something similar - and realised that they would be learning from her the importance of spending time looking at a small screen. She wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with this form of reading scripture, but that a priority for her was raising her children to love the word of God and to see her reading it and living it out. I loved this. God doesn’t want our faith to be silent or hidden, but loud and bright for all to see. So when He says that His word is a lamp and a light, He wants us to use the treasure that He has given us in the way that it was intended to be used.

 

(For more references, see Psalm 119, Romans 10:17, Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 24:35, Jeremiah 23:29).