Lamp For My Feet

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"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." -- Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

Just ask my podiatrist: I am a magnet for stumbling. In broad daylight, I can step on the single AAA battery in the almost empty parking lot of a large store and take a fall. Thanks to Hypermobility Syndrome, my ankle’s simple bobble on a curb was not a sprain after all. It ended with foot surgery for torn tendons and a broken bone.

While watching a show about ancient Korea, something I'd never seen was demonstrated. Two of the king’s assistants carried lanterns on a stick right in front of the king as he walked along but held the lights only a foot or so above the ground. The above verse leaped to mind. While a metaphor, it refers to a true ancient practice of lighting the ground ahead, so the person doesn’t trip and fall.

The psalmist points out how God lights the way for us to follow the correct path in life. One way we come to know God is through His Word, the Bible. Another way is by knowing His Son, Jesus Christ, who calls Himself the Word. In John 14:19, Jesus said anyone who had seen Him had already seen the Father.

The Greek word used for this word "to know" is ginosko, related to the word gnosis (knowledge or awareness). Early heretical Christian groups were called gnostics because they advertised a secret knowledge of God outside of what was revealed in Scripture. The problem? God left nothing essential for us to be saved as an unknown or a "mysterion" - the Greek word for a secret or hidden thing.

Ginosko, or knowing God, has a far deeper meaning than just an acknowledgement of His existence. It’s a close relationship built on love and respect, similar to a lifelong friendship or even marriage. How can we be sure we truly "know" God? By following His light on our path and keeping His commandments. That way we won't stumble and fall.

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments." (1 John 5:2, NASB)

The book of 1 John is a quick read, only five chapters. It's a succinct summary of how to know God, packed into a short letter.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What does "by their fruits you shall know them" mean in Matthew 7:16?

2. What fruits is he referring to?

3. Consider what is "good" fruit versus "bad fruit."