AUGUST 26, 2014
Spiritual
Navigation
Read: Psalm
119:97-106
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. —Psalm 119:105
Dava Sobel’s
award-winning book Longitude describes a dilemma faced by early sailors. They
could readily determine their latitude north or south of the equator by the
length of the day or height of the sun. Calculating east/west longitude,
however, remained complex and unreliable until English clockmaker John Harrison
invented the marine chronometer. This was “a clock that would carry the true
time from the home port . . . to any remote corner of the world,” thus enabling
sailors to determine longitude.
As we navigate the
seas of life, we also have a reliable source of spiritual direction—the Bible.
The psalmist wrote, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day”
(Ps. 119:97). Rather than occasionally glancing at God’s Word, he spoke of pondering
the Lord’s directions throughout each day: “Your testimonies are my meditation”
(v.99). This was coupled with a commitment to obey the Author: “I have sworn
and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments” (v.106).
Like the mariners of
old, we need a constant guide to help us find our way and stay on course.
That’s what happens when we seek the Lord day by day with an open heart and a
willing spirit that says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path.”
We need God’s guidance
from above,
His daily leading and
His love;
As we trust Him for
direction,
To our course He’ll
give correction. —Fitzhugh
With God as your
navigator, you’re headed in the right direction.
Insight
In today’s reading, we
find a portion of the psalmist’s great homage to the Word of God. The verses
describe the Word as commandments (v.98), testimonies (v.99), precepts
(vv.100,104), and judgments (vv.102,106). He also pictures the Word as honey
(v.103) and a lamp (v.105). One idea repeated in this text is that of the
singer’s response to the Word, which is meditation (vv.97,99). The word
meditate means “to reflect on.” It is a common theme in psalms that speak of
the scriptures—beginning with Psalm 1, which describes the blessed person as
the one who meditates on the Word “day and night” (v.2). The word for meditate
comes from the Hebrew word habah, which means “to be preoccupied with,” and is
also used of a cow chewing its cud in order to more readily absorb the
nutrients.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
