God’s Word: Its Role in Guiding Our Lives
The Psalms reference the role God’s Word plays in the lives of God’s people. In Psalm 119, the Psalmist writes,
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
From this passage, we learn several truths regarding how God’s Word guides us in our daily lives.
Your Word
Notice whose Word is mentioned by the Psalmist. It is not our word. It is God’s Word.
Our nature is to rely on ourselves as sources of authority. Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I know the Bible says this, but….” We all tend to make our opinions or thoughts our source of authority. Yet the focus on the Psalmist is not on our word, but God’s Word.
We must focus on God’s Word as our authority in all matters of faith and life. God’s Word is God-breathed. Regarding the inspiration and authority of Scripture, Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV) God’s Word has the power to change our lives and do the spiritual surgery we need to maintain our spiritual health. The author of Hebrews wrote, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
Our heart posture before the Bible should be one of humility. We must rely upon God’s Word as our source for answers to life’s challenges and to understand who God is and what He’s done for us through Jesus Christ.
God’s Word is a Lamp
God’s Word lights our path so that we may walk according to His will and become more like Christ in applying His Word to our lives. We want Him to light our path 400 yards ahead, making the lamp of His Word an LED floodlight that illuminates the future years of our lives. That’s not the type of lamp this passage describes.
The ancient oil lamps that are the focus of this passage were not very large and did not put out a great deal of light. Small holes contained the wicks of the lamps, which only lit about four yards ahead of the person.
While visiting an antiquities store in Israel, I learned that people would use leather straps to tie these lamps to their feet so that they could walk at night. You can imagine they did not walk too fast with flaming oil lamps attached to their feet. They also did not take giant steps. In addition, they only had enough light to see their next step.
That’s how God uses Scripture in our lives. He only gives us enough light to take our next step. We also must be careful not to take too quick or too long steps. When we focus on taking each four-yard step of faith that God’s Word illuminates, we find that the long journey of His will results from multiple four-yard daily steps taken over the years.
God’s Word is a Light to My Path
The path to which the Psalmist refers is that of a lifetime. Scripture speaks of two paths every human being might take–one that leads to destruction and one to eternal life. In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 ESV)
We build a debt towards God in our sins that we can never pay. It results in eternal separation from God, physical death, and suffering in a place the Bible calls “Hell.” The Bible tells us that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to live a perfect life in our place that we cannot live and take our debts upon Himself, dying a death that we deserved for our sins. The written Word of God points us to the Incarnate Word–Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that if we want to walk on a path that leads to eternal life, we must turn away from our sins and turn to Christ. We must trust that He is who He says He is–God Incarnate. We must trust that He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to prove He is Lord. We must surrender to Him as Lord, giving Him control of our lives. That’s what it means to be a Christ follower–someone who has repented of their sins and trusted Christ with their lives.
God’s Word illuminates God’s path to life.
Your Reponse
Are you approaching the Bible with humility, seeking to make it your authority in all matters of faith and life?
Are you spending time in Scripture, seeking the Lord to light your next step?
Are you walking God’s path, trusting Jesus–the Incarnate Word?
Tim McKnight is the founder and President of McKnight Ministries©, the nonprofit parent of Engage Every Generation. He is an Associate Professor of Missions and Youth Ministry and Director of the Great Commission Center at Anderson University. Tim is on the speaking team for Clayton King Ministries. Also, he is the lead pastor and planter of a new church plant, Mosaic Church of Anderson. Tim is the author of No Better Gospel (2017), Engaging Generation Z (Kregel 2021), and editor of Navigating Youth Ministry (B&H Academic 2022).
Tim started ministry in 1991 and has served churches in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a youth pastor, associate pastor, and lead pastor. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Bluefield College, and a M.Div. and Ph.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His primary field of study for the Ph.D. was in evangelism, with additional studies in missions and church history. His dissertation was on The Theology and Methodology of Evangelism of George Whitefield.
He served as a US Army Chaplain in the Kentucky Army National Guard, deploying on Operation Noble Eagle (2001) and Operation Enduring Freedom (2002). He is a recipient of the Kentucky Army National Guard Distinguished Service Medal.
He is a husband to Angela, father to Micah, Noah, Karissa, and MaryAnna. The most important thing he would want you to know about himself is that he is a follower of Jesus Christ.
