Your word is a lamp for my feet. Psalm 119:105
Sell my late mother’s house? That decision burdened my heart after my beloved, widowed mother passed away. Sentiment drove my feelings. Still, my sister and I spent two years cleaning and repairing her empty home, resigned to sell it. This was in 2008, and a global recession left us with no buyers. We kept dropping the price but got no offers. Then, while reading my Bible one morning, this passage grabbed my eye: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox” (Proverbs 14:4 esv).
The proverb spoke of farming, but I was intrigued by its message. An unoccupied stall stays neat, but only with the “mess” of inhabitants would it yield a harvest of crops. Or, for us, a crop of value and family legacy. Calling my sister, I asked, “What if we keep Mama’s house? We could rent it.”
The choice surprised us. We had no plans to turn Mom’s home into an investment. But the Bible, as a spiritual guide, also offers practical wisdom. As David prayed, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow” (Psalm 25:4 nlt).
With our choice, my sister and I have been blessed to rent Mama’s home to many lovely families. We also learned this life-changing truth: Scripture helps guide our decisions. “Your word is a lamp for my feet,” wrote the psalmist, “a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). May we walk in God’s light.
What tough choices are you facing? How can the Scriptures provide answers?
As I make decisions, dear God, please guide me with the light of Scripture.
INSIGHT
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm. All 176 verses celebrate the words of God and affirm their authority, supremacy, priority, and sufficiency in the lives of those who trust in Him. God is referenced in every verse of this song. Oppressed and persecuted by powerful enemies who scorned and ridiculed the psalmist’s obedience to God’s “statutes” and “decrees” (vv. 22-23, 157), he finds great strength and comfort by meditating on them and obeying them. Not wavering, he vows to remain fully committed to following God’s “righteous laws . . . [and] decrees to the very end” (vv. 106, 112). The psalmist affirms that God’s “word” is his security and safety in a dark and dangerous world; a lamp that leads him to walk in His ways and a light that provides perspective, hope, and guidance on how to respond to the harsh realities of life (vv. 105, 130).