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Midweek Musing- 8/7/2024
So recently, my randomized Spotify DJ played a song I had not heard in some time. It was Amy Grant’s recording of Thy Word, which she and Michael W. Smith wrote together. Back in the mid-80s, that song was part of the soundtrack of my life and hearing it brought back some pretty amazing memories.
The song is based on a line from Psalm 119. Verse 105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
Back in the day, I sang it, but didn’t necessarily think a whole lot about its meaning. It was a song with a great beat, very cool uses of synthesizers, and as quote-unquote Christian rock it irritated lots of adults. And as I was a teenager during those years, part of my calling was to find ways to irritate adults. Of course, little did these adults know how tame Amy Grant would be and how mainline her songs would become.
However, when I heard it recently, I reflected upon that line of scripture and what it might actually be saying to us even today. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet…”
Now most of us now have GPS devices in our cars or on our phones. We enter a starting point and an end point, and it will map out our trip. One of the options we can see is a trip overview. The overview gives you turn by turn directions with distance, sometimes down to the feet between turns. It provides estimated times for every portion of the trip and will even modify the time based upon when you start. This overview tells every detail of the trip from beginning to end with few if any surprises.
In contrast the Psalmist states God’s word also provides direction, but it is like a lamp. In the time the Psalm was written, individuals would use small oil lamps to guide them in the dark. This is like the old Coleman lanterns many of us used when camping. The light helps us to take a few steps and then look forward again and again. We move forward in the light and on faith. We certainly do not get a detailed GPS overview.
We are promised that from the moment of our birth until our death and on to the promised day we belong to God. What we don’t know is the details of that journey.
God doesn’t show you how everything will unfold, how long it will take, where resources will come from, or who you will encounter; God leads you one step at a time. We are called to trust in God and take steps even into the unknown, even without knowing how it will all work out. Step by step, God walks with us and guides us into our destiny.
The challenge we face is our desire for all the details…and we want them on our timetable. We would have no problem taking that leap of faith, no matter what it might be, if we knew where the money was coming from, how long it would take, or that the right people would be there. If we had all the details, it would be easy to step out. But here’s the key: God doesn’t provide us with all the details. God isn’t going to show you a blueprint for your entire life; if you had all the facts, you wouldn’t need faith. God will send you out without revealing everything. If you have the boldness to step into the unknown and do what God is asking you to do, well we will see glimpses of the kingdom of God and the promised day to come.
Fortunately, we are promised God is with us always and that God’s word is indeed a light unto our path. Thanks be to God.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia amen.
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