November 15 – Nun - Psalm 119:105-112

November 15 – Nun - Psalm 119:105-112

Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe thy righteous ordinances.
I am sorely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to thy word!
Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me thy ordinances.
I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget thy law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from thy precepts.
Thy testimonies are my heritage for ever; yea, they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform thy statutes for ever, to the end.
We use (or hear) the phrase “My life is in your hands.”  I think the Psalmist has it right when he says, “I hold my life in my hand continually.”  We really do. 

I drive over the tracks of a very busy railroad in the middle of Iowa on a regular basis.  Every time I drive over them, I am aware of the many deaths which have occurred because people don’t pay attention to the dangers.

One night, I came upon a slew of emergency vehicles sitting on the road parallel to the tracks.  Someone from the railroad was filming the action and there were rail vehicles working to get a crumpled, jumbled mess of something off the tracks.  It was dark and difficult to see and traffic was being moved past the accident. I wasn't sure what I was seeing.  The next day, I checked the local news for that area and a young man had been killed when his car was pushed nearly a mile down the track by an oncoming train.  He had decided to race the train for the intersection.

I know that I take my life in my hands the moment I get behind the wheel of my car, but for some reason, every time I drive over a set of railroad tracks, I have a need to ensure that I will make it across safely.

Every morning when we wake up, our life is in our hands.  The decisions we make during the day can sometimes be the difference between life and death, or even more importantly, life eternal and death.  The Psalmist tells us that the word of the Lord is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path.  We don’t have to travel in darkness.

When I drive on the back roads of Iowa after dark, I worry about wildlife crossing the road in front of me. I prefer the wide spread out view that my high beams give me and keep a watchful eye on the fields, the ditches and the road.  I like having a light to lead me down the path.

Having a light lead me down the path of life is also something that I am grateful for.  The word of the Lord is a lamp … a bright light for that path.