Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
We have such a practical and unique verse today. I don't know if you're like me, but when it comes to God being the light or lamp in life, I actually want a spotlight. Is anyone else with me? I don't want a little lamp that just lights a little ways in front of me. I would love a spotlight that shines all the way down the road that says, this is what's coming ahead—be aware and cautious. It just brightens up what's lying ahead.
A Single Lamp
King David is the writer of this psalm. Capture the dynamic of what he's saying in this psalm. He's talking to God: You light a lamp for me. Notice he doesn't say multiple lamps. He doesn't talk about a lot of candles in that time. He doesn't talk about anything else. It could be a multiple case of lights that could surround an area. He's saying, You light a singular lamp for me.
Why is that so important? Why do we take time to emphasize the singular nature of a lamp? Because when you're in darkness and you see a single light, it doesn't matter how bright it is—a single light in the darkness draws you to it naturally. There’s so much unknown, especially in the darkness. When you see a source of light, you are drawn to that. That's the beauty of what this verse is talking about.
Our Source
When we're walking through life and there's so much darkness and unknown, we can think that we have multiple places that we can go for light in our life to seek direction. A lot of times it's worldly ways of getting information or seeking direction for the future. When we truly understand that there is a singular light, a lamp that only comes from God, how much more passionate are we to seek Him out because He is our singular source of light?
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." If He is the only light of the world and we are walking in the world of darkness, you would think we'd be passionate about pursuing Him because He is the light source and the only light source that can actually light our path.
The Power of His Light
If you walk in a room when there's tons of light around and you light a candle, it doesn't have hardly any effect, does it? You hardly even notice. When it's in darkness and you have that singular light source, it makes such a tremendous impact. I say that because a lot of times we look at living out our life in Christian circles or in a religious way. Let's just take, for example, going to church. We are surrounded by those who bear the light of Jesus.
If we put our trust and faith in just that, and instead of allowing God to be the true singular light source in our life—that He is the light that's emanating through us and lighting our path every day—then we can actually walk away from the presence of those that were around that know Jesus. It's not all of a sudden walking away from a light into darkness. We are walking away from other people who bear the light into darkness. Now we have the light of Christ shining through us to light our path.
A Call to Pursue
If you are in complete and utter darkness, and you have one singular light source that will give you the ability to know any direction in your life or what lies around you, or giving clarity to your environment—how passionate we would become towards that singular light source.
When we're done here, take some time to reflect on how passionate you are about pursuing the light of Christ in your life. Just the fact that you're taking time in this moment is so encouraging. I would ask that you take it beyond this moment and allow the light of Christ to truly penetrate your heart and your life, to truly be your light source, to shine the way into your life today.
