Solar Powered

Psalm 119:105  NRSV

105  Your word is a lamp to my feet

    and a light to my path.

One of my favorite contemporary hymns is Amy Grant’s “Thy Word.”  The chorus comes from Psalm 119:105, obviously.   In our hymnal the chorus is #326 and is often used as a response to the Scripture reading.  As much as I enjoy that, I wish we could sing the entire song more often.  Because it speaks to the ups and downs of faith.  It speaks to the way my mind and heart work.

I know you’re always there.  Please always be there.  

I will not forget your love for me, but my heart wanders.  

Please hold me close and I will love you forever.

It’s sort of like, “Oooh. Shiny!”  I know God is with me. I know Jesus walks beside me.  I know that my life should be guided by the Word.  I ask for that guidance every single morning!  

But I am like a child walking through a park with a grown up, running off every few steps to look at some fascinating thing.  I am easily distracted by emotional reactions to situations I encounter.  I get discouraged by the news  I hear, and upset by the vitriol I see in online discussions.  I know God is still speaking, but I find myself wondering sometimes if anyone is listening.  I believe God will make a way out of no way, but I worry that we will destroy ourselves before that happens. The path ahead seems dark, like a walkway lined by solar lights after a cloudy day.

The thing about solar powered lights is that the more time they are exposed to the sun in the daytime, the longer their light lasts.  The more time I spend with God, with the Word, the better my path is lit.  The more time I spend focused on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,” (Phil. 4:8) the brighter my path will be.  The more time I spend focused on the light, willing to see the good in situations that look dark, the closer my walk with Christ will be.

God of Light, thank you for being there, even when I have wandered off on a tangent.  Thank you for sending the Christ to light my way, as a lamp on a darkening path.  Amen.