Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
–Psalm 119:105
What is God’s Word able to do for you and me? First of all, the Word of God has the power to save us. G. K. Chesterton was once asked what single book he would want if he were on a desert island. He replied, “I feel certain that everyone would take Thomas’ ‘Guide to Practical Shipbuilding’ so that they could get away from the island as quickly as possible.”
The fact is, all of us are stranded on an island called sin. We are separated from our heavenly Father, and we need a guide to help us get back home to Him. The Bible is that guide. It tells us how we can return to the Father who loves us. Look at James 1:21: “Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” People can be attracted to the gospel through a poem or a heartwarming story, but there is only one thing that can save people, and that is the Word of God implanted in their lives. The Word of God has the power to save us.
Second, the Word of God has the power to guide us. Are you facing a major decision in your life? If you are a Christian, God promises to give you the guidance you need. Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”
How does God give us His direction? Yes, God can speak to us through prayer, through the counsel of other Christians, and through our own desires. But the primary way God gives us the direction we need is through His Word. Look at Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Imagine you are out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, and you are lost. Fortunately you have a flashlight, and it provides just enough light to show you the next step, and then the next step, and then the next step. God’s Word is like that flashlight. It is not a floodlight that illumines the whole path, but it gives you just the amount of direction you need to take the next step.
Yet so many Christians have that light turned off. They are stumbling around in the darkness wondering why they do not receive the guidance they need to make the right decisions. Open up and read God’s Word, and it will give you the direction you need to take the next step.
