A Lamp to My Feet



Psalm 119:105-112 – Nun
105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
107I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
108Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.
109I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.
110The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.
111Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
112I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.

This stanza of Psalm 119 utilizes the letter Nun as it’s foil. (The meaning of this letter is "fish" which one cannot help but associate with the early Church.) In the first line, we read words that probably ring as so familiar as many have appropriated this verse for songs and sermons. It is fantastic image for us to hold in our minds as we navigate the life that we have been given. If God’s Word shows you the next step your foot should take, you’ll be inside of His will and that is our primary goal.

I am captivated by “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep Your righteous rules.” When we decide in advance to do something, we have a far greater chance of success. When I set my mind at the beginning of the day to walk with the Lord and heed His voice, the day is better. When the ways of God are a part of my mindset, things go differently; definitely not always perfectly, but better.

The psalmist admits that life isn’t perfect. He is afflicted by the wicked, but God’s testimonies are still the joy of his heart. I pray that I might be able to say that all day long.

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