MY MIRACLE MAG-LITE -- Devotional for June 6, from "Good Seeds"

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105).

We know that God’s Word gives light for all of life. It is the sun providing illumination for as far as the eye can see and beyond. It reveals the big picture of the general principles of life. In the Bible we learn of the nature of God and His creation. We also learn of man and his sin and sorrow. When these two concepts meet in the pages of Scripture, God makes sure to reveal to us His plan for restoring us to the relationship He first designed us to have with Himself and the world He put us in. The Bible is the only trustworthy source of illumination regarding all the whats, whys, whens and wherefores we could possibly ask about our existence and our destiny. There we learn of the sin which separates us from God, and of the Savior who came to restore the peace in our troubled hearts by doing battle with the enemy of our soul. All that’s left for us is to do business with Jesus by believing in Him and receiving His grace, His pardon, His restoration to full fellowship with God. It is only in the Bible that we can discover these far reaching, eternal truths. It is a “sun” to illumine the entire world, and a “searchlight” to expose dangers and delights on the far horizon. But in today’s passage we see another metaphor revealing another aspect of the light God’s Word provides: it is a “lamp,” a flashlight we wield in our hand, shining just enough light to keep our feet from stumbling, secure and safe for the next step on the pathway, and maybe also to help us locate road signs and local landmarks for our next turn. Sometimes I find myself searching for someone’s home after dark. I take my powerful Mag-lite with me and shine it on mailboxes, curbs or garage doors in search of the address of the residence I’m looking for. I don’t need to see the color of the house, size of the yard, or kinds of vehicles in the driveway. I just need that address – and that powerful little “torch” in my hand, properly pointed, does the trick. “What is that in your hand?” God asked Moses, who was complaining that he did not have the wherewithal to guide the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Moses answered, “A staff.” Well, what is that in your hand, oh Christian? We have God’s Word totally and constantly within our reach, but how often do we read it and put it to work for us? Let us take our Miracle Mag-lite – our wonderful Bible – off the shelf, dust off the lens, turn it on, and point it at the path where our next step will fall. We may be surprised at the stumbling stones we will avoid, and the signposts we will find!