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Just enough light so I don’t trip over my own feet (video)
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Ever heard the song with the lyrics…"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path?" These lyrics actually come straight from Psalm 119:105. I have always loved these words. When I sing them I fall in love with them over and over again. (Though few would want to hear them as they come from my lips because I do confess that, while I love to sing, others might not love to hear me sing!) I sing them nonetheless and as I do I embrace them, and get warmth from them.
Isn’t His Word amazing like that? There are certain portions, like in Psalm 119, that bring forth a whole sense of well-being and hope like no other words ever written. I mean, seriously try to read a Readers Digest, a People Magazine or even a Guide Posts and see if you feel the same about any of the Words you read within those publications. Are you constantly picking up that same old issue of People magazine from back in 1985 with Johnny Carson on the cover and reading the articles again and again like most of us do with our Bibles? While Readers Digest was a mainstay in our bathrooms at home growing up I don’t have any Readers Digests from 1974 sitting around to pick up, study and refer back to on a daily or weekly basis like I do the Bible (Come on, you all know every family has a library in their bathroom!) You don’t hear someone quoting Chapter 3, page 11, line 2 of a monthly Guide Posts article and I seriously doubt any ordained Minister ever used the words written in Laughter, the Best Medicine to perform a marriage ceremony! On the contrary, the Bible is quoted and used chapter and verse, time and again, century upon century. The Word of God is infallible, purposeful, timeless and indeed a light for us.
The latter part of Psalm 119:105…and a light unto my path…is typically the most talked about portion of this scripture. You often hear people talk about having light for their path or having their destination illuminated. There are many books with titles about having enough light for our path or having God shine His light on our path; but what about the feet? What about the first part of this scripture? Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet. Why in the world do we need a lamp unto our feet? Truly, do you watch your feet all the time while you walk? Except for needing to tie the occasional shoe, do you really need a light on your feet in order to walk upright, obediently, forward… in His footsteps and on the path He illuminates for you?
As I was praying and fasting at one point not so long ago I asked specifically for God to illuminate my path and what He impressed upon me during prayer was that I need to be IN His Word more regularly and through His Word He would indeed illuminate my path. I was excited and happy with this heart-felt message. However, in my very first time of seeking more of His Word after that prayer, I was led straight to Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet…I knew that understanding the significance of this was of utmost importance to my path because I could not get beyond it.
A lamp unto my feetdoes not accidentally come before a light unto my path in this scripture. It was placed there with purpose. As I looked at my own feet, adorned with colorful socks and shoes with daisies imprinted on them, well I honestly became distracted so I took my socks and shoes off! I stood up and I looked at my feet, bare and exposed. I thought for a moment how much like my feet I felt at times. There are times when I feel bare, exposed; and I seek warmth. I don’t have some big comfy spiritual sock to drape over my soul but I do have warmth and light from His Word. But I knew there was more to this message than that.
As I prayed on the matter I realized that what happens so often is that we only focus on the light on the path. Once God shows us a path to head down; a place where we fit; a destination He wants us to go forth on to use our talents or our time, we too often focus only on that path. But in order to head down the path we must prepare our feet first. What came to me is that I needed to be sure I walked the walk, talked the talk and made sure the two matched up! Or, in other words, live out what I speak about rather than just give God or others lip service; put actions behind my words.
What happens a lot of times is we see the path He so lovingly lights up for us and we start headlong for that destination. Did I say head-long? Yep, that’s what I meant too. We use our heads to set forth; we use our brains to analyze, specify and criticize the path and the means we think we need to take to go down it. We give it a whole lot of talk but we don’t set forth on the walk. We forget about the feet! We use our brains and forget our souls. (Or should that be soles?)
When we’re called to go down a path we must first have His light shine on our feet. Are we first standing on solid ground? Are we standing in His light at the time? Are we geared up, ready for the long haul, if that’s what it takes? Do we have our good shoes on, comfy socks (akin to spiritual gear for the feet). Or are we just so gung-ho to get on with the business of feeling the warmth of His light on the path that we forget that it will take our feet to get us there?
And sometimes it’s just the opposite….we aren’t so gung-ho to get down that path because we are afraid. We stand still and our feet are motionless. God gives us light for our feet so we can see if they’re ready to move forward. Fear can grip us and though we may want to move forward, our feet plant us firmly in the place we do not belong. We become stuck.
I remember a time when I was in fifth grade and I had some brilliant idea to take a short-cut going home from school one day. That short cut ended up detouring straight into a field of mud. I became stuck in mud up to my knees. I finally worked my way out however, to this day; my shoes are still probably stuck in that field in Farmington, New Mexico. I think about that time and compare it to the times I’ve spiritually felt stuck in one place. I feel as if my feet are unable to move. I see it every day in others who are afraid to take a leap of faith. (A leap - also a term referring to something we do with our feet!)
You must be honest about where you are standing and where you intend to go before you can set forth down any path. God shines a light through His Word about obedience and faith. Are you standing firm on these? Look down at your own feet. Where do you stand? Are your feet holding you back? Causing you to trip and fall? Or are you content to just stumble along?
Before He will move you on and call you forward He first calls you to look at your feet and where you stand. Sometimes we forge ahead without light, deceived into thinking that our own way is better than God’s way. Be cautious and yet, move forward when He tells you to. I encourage you to pray for His light on your feet…and then for His light on your path!
Video courtesy of Tangle.com
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