Your Word Is a Lamp for My Feet
Open Your Bible
Psalm 119:105-120, Proverbs 19:21, 1 Chronicles 28:9-20
BY Ryan Myers
“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.
47 thoughts on "Your Word Is a Lamp for My Feet"
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In 1 Chronicles 28:19 “David concluded, ‘By the Lord’s hand on me, he enabled me to understand everything in writing, all the details of the plan.’” David is speaking of the plans to build the temple, which he is passing on to Solomon. Still, wouldn’t it be great if the Lord enabled us to understand all the details of His plan? But wait… David had incomplete understanding of the covenant God made with him — who would be the offspring that would establish David’s throne forever? What would the Messiah be like? What was God’s plan for the nations?
We have the completed Word of God, including the revelation of the mystery of the gospel. Like David, we have the Spirit to guide us. As the Spirit leads us through Scripture, we learn God’s gospel plan and more about His kingdom. In the Word, we see Christ unifying Jew and Gentile into one body — the Church. The Word of God that we have access to is a much more full revelation of the details of His plans. Thus, when we say with the psalmist, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path,” the light the Spirit provides for us shines even brighter. -
❤️❤️❤️
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Thank you all yesterday for your messages and prayers, I cannot tell you how much they meant to me. Amy G- I’m wondering if you would feel comfortable sharing your email address with me? My husband was deployed with a unit across the country (which is a long story), and we aren’t in a navy town, so we are far from any military support or community for my husband. I would love to pick your brain about resources. If you are comfortable emailing, my email is: [email protected]
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Thank you sisters for your continued prayers – my test result was negative for COVID-19. I am still out from work this week to recover from the sinus infection I had, but I am feeling much better. I am working on building better boundaries so I don’t stress (which triggers my asthma more), guarding my input, and staying connected to Jesus through it all. Thank you to those who reminded me to inhale peace and faith, and to exhale stress and worry. Blessings to you all for a beautiful day and week ahead.
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Do the work, knowing the Lord is with you through its completion❤️
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Reading through this Psalm has been so good for me. Like many, we are in a season where it is easy to be discouraged. There has been a lot of “hard” in these months. It is good to keep remembering what is true and where deep joy can be found in these seasons of life. Thankful that the Lord guides us with His word, and sustains us. What a loving Father we have in Him. My husband is waiting on word of a job, that seems like a strong possibility after months of no work. I run out of prayers on this topic and am down to praying for God’s plan and will. He is teaching me to depend and just want His ways. I’d appreciate prayers for my husbands job search, and my ability to support him well.
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As I consider these passages, Ryan’s devotion and the many comments by my SRT sisters, my thoughts have moved toward the potential good in distinguishing earthly fathers from spiritual fathers, and of course, our heavenly Father. When I think of my earthly father (who has passed on), I am gladly able to say that he had a profession of faith in Christ. Yet, he struggled to teach in a manner like David, or even Ryan’s father did. My dad had a notable learning disability as well as not any true mentors who invested in him. His theology had holes in it and some potentially false teaching accepted. But, I’m grateful for our last few years together, while he was struggling with dementia, we were able to talk some about these discrepancies. I”m not sure how much he understood, but I thank our heavenly Father for the hope that his grace is sufficient in the midst of great weakness of mind and body.
Then, I ponder about the spiritual fathers the Lord has placed in my path. For the first many years of newfound faith in my 30s, I’m hard pressed to identify these spiritual fathers. Mainly because the theology of the church I was a part of has it’s own discrepancies. But then the Lord, who is faithful to the cries of those in great affliction, pointed me to a number of godly teachers with sound doctrine. Though not perfect in words and actions, these men have shown me who this great heavenly Father, this sovereign Lord, truly is.
Thank you, heavenly Father, for making up what has been lacking in godly teaching from our earthly fathers for many of us!
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So thankful for my Dad and the love and wisdom he has always given me. Now as he is losing his memory, I pray the one thing he never loses is Jesus in his mind and heart. Lord God may all the children out there young and old who have not had an earthly Dad who walked beside them know that they have a heavenly one that loves them beyond comprehension. God please let them feel you holding them and see all the ways you care for their needs. Give us your eyes for each other and your healing words. Lord I pray too for all the teachers preparing to go back to school may you give them your peace that surpasses understanding as they love on their students in word and deed I pray you multiply the hope, joy and love they pour out. Thank you Jesus for all you are going to do. Amen
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Maura, my Mother had dementia and one of the main things God taught me through caring for her was that He will never leave you or forsake you. There were times that God was the only thing that connected in the tangled web of her mind. God gave me these verses to speak at her funeral, Psalm 71:6-9, 17-18
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