Avoiding Capture

Anytime there’s a meteor shower, comet, or planet sighting, I’ll walk down to the lake across the road at night and check it out. The last time I walked to the lake, a couple family members joined me. Most people know that a flashlight would help a person walk a quarter mile in the dark. My family members are not most people! I was the only one who brought a flashlight. So, I decided walking in front would be the best way to shed light for everyone. But by the time the fourth person in line came, the light wasn’t much help. This person was tripping and yelping every thirty seconds or so. It sounded painful.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.†Notice the psalmist doesn’t say that God’s Word is a lamp to everyone who is behind me! If each person walking to the lake had carried a flashlight, there would have been no tripping or yelping.

But it’s easy to say, “Carrying a flashlight is a pain. I’ll just follow someone who has a light.†Maybe we think we’ll know the way because our mom or dad knows the Bible, or we’ll avoid pitfalls because our pastor knows the Bible. Maybe our favorite theologian knows the Bible and we listen to them, so we’ll be fine. Certainly our branch of church history got it right, so we’ll just follow along.

But that’s not the way it goes! Maybe other people’s lights can help us see that there’s a better way (Matthew 5:16), but at a certain point, we need to pick up the Word of God (the light) for ourselves. Jesus—who is the Word and the light of the world—came so that we could know God intimately, without having to go through sacrifices or religious leaders. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we have been brought near to God. As we pursue relationship with Him, He helps us know Him personally, not secondhand through someone else.

When we use God’s Word to light the path in front of our own feet, the Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible and know God better. While it’s wise to listen to other Christians who know the Bible and ask for help, it’s ultimately our own responsibility to spend time in God’s Word and become familiar with it for ourselves. • Jeff Weddle

• Does someone in your life love studying the Bible? What have you learned from them?

• Have you ever heard someone teach from the Bible, but you wonder if their interpretation is actually what the Bible says? Who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk to about this?

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 (WEB)

Read Verses:

John 14:6; Colossians 2:1-23