A Light To My Path

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” – Psalm 119:105

One day, a son saw his father looking at a map and got curious and asked his dad. He asked, “Father, what are you doing?” His father replied,  “Son, I got a new job in the city. I am going to a place I have never been before, and this map will guide me.”

Then the son said, “Father, since you will be away, I have one request to ask.”

“What is it, son?” his father asked.

“I also want a map to guide me through life.”

So, if you were the child’s father, mother, or guardian, what would you have given the child as a guide?

We, who are believers in Christ, have God as our Father. God knew that we would be lost without Him, and that’s why He gave us the Bible. His word. Without God’s word in our lives, it would be like walking blindly in an unfamiliar place. It is important that we read the Bible to know what God’s will is for our lives. We need God’s word also, for guidance each time we are not sure what to do.

David writes (Psalm 23:1), “The LORD is my shepherd.” He recognized that God is the shepherd in our lives. Without the hand of a shepherd, the sheep would walk astray. As a shepherd guides his sheep, so does God guide us to the right path away from the dangers of this world. We, being the sheep that God shepherds, are required to follow by trusting Him.

In the gospel of John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” A good shepherd knows his sheep and his sheep know his voice, and they follow him. In John 10:5, he says, “But they will never follow a stranger.” Why? Because the sheep have developed a relationship with the shepherd, and they know his voice.

How do we develop a close relationship with God? How do we stay connected to Him? To stay connected to God, it is important that we continue to read the Bible and to meditate on His word so that we may hear His voice as we obediently follow behind Him. Remember, God is always one step ahead. He knows which path is good for us and which ones are not. He does all this because he loves us.

Suppose you are lost at sea, and you have no idea how to navigate through the sea in the dark, and from a distance you see a light illuminating. Instinctively, you would set your focus on the light and navigate towards the lighthouse. And that’s how God’s word is to us. Very often, we find ourselves in unfamiliar territories, or we reach a point in life where we are unsure of what to do, still doubting whether or not we are on the right track, and we desperately need something to guide us, to comfort us, to assure us, and to encourage us. And that’s where God’s word comes in. God’s word is like the lighthouse that guides the ship to the shore. The word of God guides us back to Him.

Not only does God’s word act as a guide to our path, but it also gives light to our lives by broadening our understanding of certain things that were once complicated. Sometimes, we may not always understand why and how God does certain things, but we can always trust and follow Him according to His word. In the end, we get a better understanding of things, and we begin to see the bigger picture of what God was working on because we chose to trust Him. David writes in Psalm 119:130, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

As we walk in obedience to God, His word continues to unfold to us by illuminating more light to our path, thus broadening our understanding of Him and what He’s working in our lives.

 Just as a father holds the hand of his child as they walk along, so does God hold our hands as we journey along in this world. However, you have to let Him hold your hand and guide you, even if He decides to take you through the valley. It is better to go through the storm with Jesus than to go through it without him. We have the word of God with us- The Bible- and we can take our time to learn from Him, and learn to know His voice and obey Him in humility.

It is my prayer that we may continue to stay connected and build a deeper relationship with God through faith, prayer, obedience, and reading His word.