April 2022
Hoopla: Spotlighting North Texans 50 And Better
Life in Grace
by Lara Cook North Side Baptist Church
Light the way Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…. That is the version of this verse I learned as a child. Then Amy Grant came out with a song about this verse in 1984, and I sang along with her over and over again. Chances are, many people may be familiar with these words, even if they didn’t grow up in church, because it is one of the most popular verses of the Bible. Sometimes we grow up saying and singing these familiar passages without really ever giving much thought to what they say. This passage has an important message to convey to us: I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore, I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119: 101-105 ESV The author knew that the Word is a guidebook for us to keep us on the right path. When we follow that path, we are less likely to go down a wrong path that leads us away from God. The Word of God is the law, but also grace. It is truth, and a life preserver. It helps us know the way, but we must still choose the way. Obedience is the key to staying on the right path.
When we are camping or out in the woods in the dark of night, a lamp is only going to light the next step. You can hold it at arm’s length, but you will not be able to see all the way to the end of the path. One step at a time. That is
all God gives us. He wants us to trust Him for the next step as we go, just like we trust the light of the lamp for the next step on a dark path. Trusting Him, being obedient to Him and pouring His Word into our lives will take us all
15
the way, but just one step at a time. The path changes. It dips and winds and may even drop off a cliff here and there, but God and His Word never change. We can find direction and safety in Him for every step of the way.
