Trust . . . His Word

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Psalm 119:105 (KJV)

105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

There is a language spoken by many Christians today with which I am unaccustomed. It is expressed in terms like, "God has spoken to me today," "I have a word from God." Some people act as if they have a direct hot line to God. Yet often that which they have heard from God is contradictory to that which the Scriptures teach. It seems to me that God is pleased when we hear Him through His Word and then apply it in our daily lives.

1. His Word is a lamp that keeps me from stumbling . . . "thy word is a lamp . . ."
   This verse plainly teaches that God has given us His word for a very practical use. The image is of a traveler walking in darkness. He lowers His lantern to see his feet.
   1. His Word is to be used more than admired . . .
      How strange would it be for the traveler to admire the mechanism of the lamp and not use it. Yet many will profess belief in the Bible and not use it in life.
   2. His Word is given to protect not harm . . .
      A.W. Pink says, "All the lower orders of creation are endowed with an instinct which moves them to avoid what is harmful. But fallen man has not even the instinct of the brutes. Usually he has to learn by painful experience what is harmful and injurious." Experience keeps an expensive school. It's much less costly to follow His word.
   3. His Word is given for you not others . . .
      "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet . . ." To keep people in ignorance is to keep them from reading God's word. You must learn to take His Word for yourself.
2. His Word is a light that keeps me from straying . . . "thy word . . . is a light . . ."
   Do you want to know the future? Then look to His word for the path ahead of you.
   1. There is a path for you . . . it is laid out by God and it is clear in His word.
      But what about areas where the Bible doesn't speak directly like marriage, job, etc. . . . ? The Bible addresses those areas in the form of principles: "Don't be unequally yoked" (II Corinthians 6:14). "Be content in all things" (Philippians 4:11). "He that hasteth with his feet sins" (Proverbs 19:2). "Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).
   2. The Good Shepherd will keep you on the path . . . always for your good.
      This is the teaching of the parable of the lost sheep. The lost little lamb is not a picture of a lost person, but of a child of God that strays from God's path.
   3. The path God has set will always lead to blessing . . .
      The Psalmist says that by God's word "thy servant is warned: and in keeping of it (the word of God) there is great reward" (Psalm 19:11).
3. His Word is life that gives me strength . . . "quicken me O Lord, (by) thy word."
   There is a sense in which the Word of God is more than words on paper. There is life within His word. The word "quicken" means to give life. During times of affliction and trouble, or times of sorrow and heartache, the Word brings life. "Sweet are thy words unto my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth" (Psalm 119:103). It is a guarantee that the person who stays away from the reading and applying of the Word of God will quickly become sick spiritually. Learn to love and trust His Word.

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