Light for Life

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. (Psalm 19:8, NIV)

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. (Psalm 119:130) 

For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life. (Proverbs 6:23, NIV)

The words precept, commands, word, and teaching refer to God’s Word–the Bible.  2 Timothy 3:16 tells us this about the Bible:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

The Bible is our guidebook for a fulfilling life.  In it, we learn who God is, who we are, how much He loves us, and what His plans are for our lives.  Every time we read God’s Word, we can know that He has a specific purpose for it.

The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) [Emphasis added.]

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (Hebrews 4:12) [Emphasis added.]

This week in my personal quiet time, I read the following verses from Psalm 119 in the New Living Translation:

 I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. Verse 25
Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. Verse 50

After meditating on these, I read a couple of commentaries.  Loved the following from the Believer’s Bible Commentary:

Life has its valleys as well as its mountaintops. Even when we are cast down in sorrow, we can call on the Lord to revive us through the restoring power of the word … Those who have experienced the quickening powers of the word find it an unfailing source of comfort. The words of well-meaning men are often empty and unavailing but God’s Word is always living, relevant and effective.

The more time we spend reading God’s Word, the more light, or understanding, we have for our lives.

Constructed in 1847, the Biloxi Lighthouse was the first cast-iron lighthouse in the south.  In this picture, taken in the late summer of 2008, you can see behind it the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.  According to “Lighthouse Friends,” the flag draped from the top is symbolic of “the community’s resolve to withstand and overcome all calamities.”

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