Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
It was dark, it was midnight, it was the jungle. In a foreign country, we were dependent upon a local to guide not only me, but my husband and friends to see an unique sight. Having never been in the jungle nor seen one gave us an edge of excitement, but a moment of truth – either we believed our guide, or not. We decided to believe because we wanted to see giant sea turtles lay eggs. There are only two spots in the world where this happens, and we were on one of those two beaches.
Our guide led us and we spotted one lone sea turtle. It was beautiful to behold. We were able to watch the whole process and stand in awe of our Creator God as our eyes adjusted to the moonlight, the jungle surroundings, the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean in Costa Rica.
What made this moment memorable was the driving force of the event – ignorant language school students relying on a local to get them to see an unique event. We had no way of knowing where we were going. We needed a guide - he was the one who knew where we were and how to search. We did not know if we were safe nor going in the right direction.
We had to trust.
As it is with God, we have to trust Him. His Son is the Light of the world (John 8:12). He shines where we are and where we need to go.
Jesus shines His light, but because we are easily distracted we wander when seeing shining objects, or listen to nay-sayers; our vision gets clouded. Notice, it is not God’s light getting dimmer, it is our inability to see or recognize it because of issues on our end. We are not connected, so to speak, to the source – we have unplugged ourselves from the wall.
Much of history did not have the written Word of God – it took years to complete it. When Jesus was on earth, the only Scriptures were the Old Testament. As Paul was planting churches and encouraging believers, he was simultaneously writing about half the New Testament.
Nowadays, we have the Bible in its entirety. All sixty-six books for us to read, peruse, memorize, find comfort, and be challenged to grow in our walk with God. We can say as the psalmist did in Psalm 119:105 –
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (KJV)
The truth is still the same – our relationship with God is at the center of it all. Without His guiding Light, His Spirit leading us, the words on the page are just that – words. But they come alive when we recognize Jesus is the Living Word (John 1:1-2) and He makes all the difference. Jesus lights up God’s Word to us. The very breath of life available to us and written down for us to glean, get guidance, and understanding of who God is.
Back in the jungles of Costa Rica, we quickly realized while beautiful, jungles are inhospitable for humans. Swamp-like conditions include insects of enormous sizes, oppressive heat and humidity, deafening sounds of animals calling to one another and darkness because of the massive flora growth. It was and is breath-taking. Many a time while there we would be in awe of plant sizes and leaves, the sheer noise of the insects and the cries of monkeys. It was a lonely non-tourist destination; a blip on a map. This fact made it a mind-over-matter situation.
We were out of our element, and we knew it. Our guide lived there, knew his way around and was very comfortable. We were anything but.
However, we were fascinated enough to stay engaged and learn.
So it is with Jesus. He knows. He sees. He listens. He’s comfortable in His kingdom. He is ready and willing to be our Guide to show us His Father, His Kingdom, His ways.
Are you ready to be led? Are you needing His Light in your jungle? Are you exhausted trying to figure it out on your own and tired of getting lost?
Why not ask Jesus to help? He’s available right now.
PRAYER
Oh Father, how amazing You are. No matter where I find myself, I can call out and You hear. You lead me where I need to go. You light my path, my ways; You are patient and kind with me as I gingerly take one step at a time. I am afraid to step into the unknown, or onto some fear I have. However, I do trust. I believe You will lead me and be with me every single step of the way. I am ready. In the name of Jesus, my source of Strength. AMEN
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