“Okay. What have you learned from this?”
This phrase, spoken by my father, was a mainstay of my growing up. I heard it one summer afternoon when I was eight years old, following my sheepish confession that I’d accidentally shot my neighbor, Mr. Horner, with my BB gun. I heard it late one snowy Michigan night, when my car came to rest against a chain-link fence—after I’d impatiently tried (unsuccessfully) to maneuver it between a ditch and another parked car in my girlfriend’s driveway—resulting in a phone call to my dad, asking him to come help me dig my car out of a snowdrift. And I’ve uttered that same question to myself countless times since, even as I’ve grown older and the learning opportunities have evolved with time and age.
Always spoken in love, and almost always received with humility, it’s a phrase so simple, yet it resounds with the essence of the relationship between a dad and a son. I’m deeply grateful to fall into the increasingly receding percentage of men whose fathers are truly fatherly.
We might not expect to find such a rare, human moment between father and son within Scripture. While God’s Word is relatable and relevant across time, I still struggle sometimes to grasp the idea that these words were written to real people who existed in a real time and place. But that wasn’t the case for me when I read David’s words to his son, Solomon, in 1 Chronicles 28. His words could’ve just as easily been written to me in a text message from my dad on any given Monday morning:
“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father,
and serve him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind,
for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought.
If you seek him, he will be found by you” (v.9).
I can almost picture the memories and hard-won lessons flashing before David’s eyes as he distills his life into just two simple sentences, passing down parting wisdom to his son. After charging Solomon with the great responsibility of building the temple and outlining the requirements of the job, David’s parting words to his son, and some of his last we read in the Bible, include loving encouragement that ultimately points Solomon to a present, secure, steadfast God. He tells Solomon to “be strong and courageous, and do the work… for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished” (v.20).
What a delight it is to be offered wisdom by those who’ve come before us, and in turn, to offer guidance to those who will come after us. But isn’t that what this entire book, the Bible, is about? It’s a lamp to lead our feet along the path of life (Psalm 119:105). It gives guidance from a loving Father through stories of His own and others’ that are full of grace and love, that shape us and call us to grow. May we honor the same Father of David and Solomon, feel loved by Him, and love like Him every day.
Ryan Myers is Chief Operating Officer of She Reads Truth, He Reads Truth, and Kids Read Truth. Ryan and his wife, Raechel, live with their two children in Nashville, Tennessee.
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47 thoughts on "Your Word Is a Lamp for My Feet"
His Word is the light for my path. The road of life seems very dark and uncertain under the shadows of all this world is going through. I need the light of His Word to guide my steps. My heart is set on keeping His decrees. I am loving this study so much!
I think about the passage from Proverbs and how it connects to Psalm. The words of our Father and His purposes are what will prevail, not mine. I am such a planner and want things to go in a particular way, which they often don’t, on a broader scale. However, when I turn to God’s word and submit to His plan and purpose, I’m able to walk through the “change in plan” in a more peaceful state of mind and heart ❤️ His plans and purposes are good because He is good!
Amen! ♥️
Amen, this is so good to read and something that I have to remember because my life isn’t going to way I planned and thought it would but it’s nice to know since I’m following Christ and I have a relationship with Him, he’s in control of my life and I’m exactly where I need to be.
https://shereadstruth.com/your-word-is-a-lamp-for-my-feet/
So good! This reminds me of John 3, He loves us and calls us children.
Yes Kristen. I come in agreement with you concerning this word. I cried reading this devotion as he talked about the blessing of having his father. Lord, I have unspoken prayer requests regarding this. I boldly confess my desires to the Lord. I pray for earthly Fathers for children who don’t have that father in their lives. I pray for more marriages for single moms so they can have a help mate on earth, as the Lord see fit to help them in this world and in raising their children in the Kingdom of God on this earth. Lord, I pray for Divine connections, let Your Kingdom Come and Your Will be done, on this earth as It Is in Heaven. In Jesus Name, Amen
Yes Kristen and Clarene. Also adding to that prayer for children that do have fathers that are physically present, yet are physically or emotionally abusive. My father is still around, but I grew up dealing with his angry outbursts, emotional abuse, and untreated mental illness. We have a complicated relationship now; it’s civil and I know he does love me deep down, but I simply cannot relate to the father figure in this devotion. I would have been afraid to tell my father any of those mistakes and would have tried to hide them from him if at all possible to avoid the emotional consequences. BUT GOD. But I have a Heavenly Father that meets me with grace, patience, love, and forgiveness. And He offers that to all of us – those with great earthly dads and the fatherless. I cling to and cherish my relationship with my Father, and I’m praying that I continually draw closer to Him by His Grace.
In the midst of the psalmist’s distress, he calls out to the Lord and leans into His Word. It is the lamp and the light of God’s Word that will show him the way through and the way out. He is “resolved to obey your statutes to the very end.” All of his hope is in the Word.
Is there any of us who have not clung to the promises of God in our most dire moment? Have we not held tight to His words even as tears fell on the page? Have we not pleaded with Him to sustain us when all strength seemed in short supply? Have we not felt His presence, seen His hand, received His assurance and trembled in awe of Him? Let us worship while we wait. He will indeed “remove all the wicked from the earth.”
That verse stood out to me so strong… it stayed like a promise to help me keep perspective… “He will remove ALL the wicked from the earth”. I have been praying daily for our nation and for the Church to be awakened.
Thank You Lord that You “will remove ALL wicked from the earth” so we ask that you would expose what needs to be exposed and that You would be magnified. Have Your way in the earth Lord. We ask for hearts to be awakened and turned to You. Help us to LOVE You and LOVE others in Your name. You are the just judge. Our assignment is to love.
Amen!!
Ryan Myers, we have met, in the love of christ.. I have to say…
I love you..!
Your writing, every word, reminded me of my earthly father, no longer here, and yet his words, his loving words, often pop up in my mind, i smile, and i say thank you dad..
You versions verse of the day is proverbs 22:6
Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.
The guidance and love, support and grace I received from my dad, has brought me thus far, in that he brought me jesus to begin with, he would sing the old gospel songs, ‘where you there when they crucified my Lord’, came to mind as I write, that one always always had tears, as Iit does now, I guess one for the memory and most importantly that another would died for this sin filled, rebel of a human being…
But God..
With the loving and encouraging lessons as a child, always brings me back to Him no matter what I did, where I roamed, searching for what I felt was missing..
His Word, the words I learnt at the knee, have always been a lamp to guide me home, and as in the olden days the light for my path home, as the saying goes, there absolutely is no place like home..
This world is not my home..
But God is..
Amen.
I love you guys, Hapoy Tuesday wrapped in all things wonderful…❤
So true Kristen I love to run into my former middle school students, especially the boys, that need encouragement and sometimes just the fact that they know I always was fair and expected their best because I knew they could give it. This is what I miss the most about being retired helping to mold new lives.
I wasn’t going to write this, then I saw this verse of the day on the YouVersion Bible app: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 NIV
This app has a story that goes with it. This was written on the first page before the verse: Whether their your children or somebody else’s, kids are everywhere. What responsibility do we have to them?
One of the pastors talked about the statistics of children that don’t have fathers. Fathers are needed, but aren’t always there for many reasons. He was saying this to show what can happen without an earthly dad and how much more we all need our Heavenly Father. From this devotional and the Scripture and question, there may be kids that need some guidance, direction, and love from us so they can learn about the Father’s love. May God help us to see where and when we can help, lead, teach, and guide.