Is God’s Word a light to your path?

There’s a famous poem by an author named Portia Nelson, describing her life in five short chapters. It reads as follows:

“Chapter One of My Life. I walk down the street.

There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in.  I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault.

It still takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two. I walk down the same street.

There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it.

I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place!

But it isn't my fault. And it still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three. I walk down the same street.

There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it there.

I still fall in. It's a habit! My eyes are open. I know where I am.

It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter Four. I walk down the same street.

There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter Five. I walk down a different street.” 

What does it take for us to walk down a “different street?” Many of us are walking through life regularly falling into the same pits that trip us up and trap us in. Not only is this happening on a personal level, but on a social, financial and spiritual one too. Many of us cannot see the pitfalls we are falling into, especially the spiritual ones, in which we are exchanging the truth of God’s word, for lies.

The apostle John reminds us, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you in greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). He who is in a follower of Christ is the Holy Spirit. He who is in the world is the devil. Because believers are empowered in this way, we are capable of navigating around the holes that catch us by surprise, like on the sidewalk of the poem. We are equipped to overcome the plots, plans, traps, snares and sabotages that come from God's enemy, including being deceived by things that look good on the outside, but destroy us from within. We do this by yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth (John 16), and meditating on God’s word, the holy scriptures.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Word in this verse means utterance of the Lord. God speaks to all of His people through His written word. His words are truth. Truth is timeless. It does not differ from one age to another. People may change, their ideas may differ and moral codes may vary, but the fact of the matter is, God's truth stands for time and eternity. The Psalmist is describing God’s Word as light, that is, a guide for living - for every generation. The light refers to understanding. We need God’s truth found in the Bible to bring light to our next steps in life. A lamp is necessary to illuminate a dark path so that we know where to place, or not, place our feet.

The Psalmist also says, “The entrance to Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). When we receive the illumination of the word of God we learn to take every problem to the Bible. Through every dark age of mankind His promises have stood unchanged and helped millions of people avoid the pitfalls that are eager to plague us.

Today more than ever we need truth. When humanity denies the truth of God and His word, and believers deny the infallibility of these ancient and treasured texts, then we have become a society that has lifted its opinion higher than Jesus. This is not only dangerous, but makes the holes inevitable. If this where you find yourself, it might be time to find a different street.

Make time every day for the light of God's word to light your path. It will never let you down.