The Incredible Blessing of the Bible in this Dark World

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light upon my path.” That’s how I memorized Psalm 119:105 as a young boy at Lamont Christian School. It’s hard to describe how much more precious that truth has become 50-some years later. I say that because I feel increasingly disoriented in today’s society. So much has changed.

The world I grew up in had commonly agreed worldview, with recognizable foundations and boundaries. The lines of truth and lie, and right and wrong, were bold and clearly defined. If you could view my childhood world from 35,000 feet and through a "worldview" lens you would see that those lines were nearly etched in granite in the innermost circle of my life (family, school, church). The further you moved out from that little circle, the less defined the lines would become. For instance, in the small town of Coopersville, there was still a very high degree of homogeneity when it came to worldview: how the country should be run, the importance of church and family for society, the harm of pre-marital sex, etc. But once you got to the (far-away) big city of Grand Rapids, the lines were a little more blurred, with a lot more disagreement over social/political/theological issues. However, the basic foundations of a Judea-Christian worldview still held.

The social disagreements were primarily over the application of those foundations. A great example would be Dr. Martin Luther King’s constant appeal to Scripture and the Constitution as the basis of authority in his quest for racial justice. His argument won the day because he was right, and the documents to which he appealed still held sway in the social square. The foundations were still there. The lines of truth and error, wrong and right still existed.

That was then. So much has changed.

Those foundations and boundary lines have been eviscerated by relativism. The appeal to truth is decried as a weapon which the powerful use to oppress the vulnerable. The only “truth” that remains is personal and private. Right and wrong are irrelevant – all that matters is power. Appeals to authoritative documents are deemed inappropriate if those documents would in any way restrict the freedom of an individual to define their own truth and pursue any behavior they desire. The only authority remaining is the individual human will. And the result is the sheer chaos of our day.

I’m not trying to rant.  I’m just trying to get my mind around what I read in the headlines. This is why I feel disoriented. I feel like I’m living in an episode of The Twilight Zone - the original, black and white, 1959-1964 version. If you remember, Rod Serling crafted these mysterious, often ominous, sci-fi short stories where people tried to make sense of a world that had, in one way or another, radically changed overnight. Those dystopian vignette’s left me feeling a little uneasy and disoriented – much like the headlines do today.

And that’s why I love God’s Word! In a world engulfed in the chaos of evil and the confusing fog of lies – God has given us a lamp for our feet, a light for our path. And it’s wonderful! God’s Word helps us to realize that what we are seeing in our world today isn’t new. This is what happens when people reject God’s truth and embrace the Devil’s lie. It happened in Noah’s day. It happened time and again in Israel’s tragic experience. It defined the Gentile world of the first century. What we are seeing today is what inevitably happens when people walk in spiritual darkness. And that’s why the Word of God is so precious!

We were once, by nature, enslaved to the same dark evil that is blinding the minds of our nation. But God, in His rich mercy, has given us the beautiful light of His Word! God’s Word shows us, definitively, what is true, what is right, what is wrong. “This is the way, walk ye in it!” (Isaiah 30:21). It directs us to the Living God who is a Rock (Ps 18:2) and leads us into a kingdom which cannot be shaken (Heb 12:28). All of Scripture is written to call us to Jesus who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). It promises blessings to those who hold on to this Word, who meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2). By the Word we are sanctified (John 17:17). By the Word we are saved (James 1:21). It is able to build us up and give us the inheritance of those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32).  God’s word is our LIFE! (Deut 32:47)

“O how I love Thy law!” (Ps 119:97) What a blessing to have God’s voice in our ear, His words in our mind, His precepts and promises in our heart as we walk through the chaos and confusion of this world. Brothers and sisters – let’s commit to the Word! To know it, to read it, to walk along its life-giving paths and to drink its soul-refreshing waters. It’s God’s Lamp for our feet today!

Recommended Reading

“Why I No Longer Use Transgender Pronouns – and Why You Shouldn’t Either”.  Rosario Butterfield has written a tremendous example of God’s clarifying, life-giving truth in this article about transgender pronouns. It’s the most helpful, Biblical and clarifying discussion of this raging topic I’ve seen. HIGHLY recommended.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray as Joanne and I try to make some plans for our upcoming Sabbatical this summer. We are looking for a good place to go to rest and study.
  
  
• Pray for the Presbytery as it meets later this month (the 29^th). They will be deciding what to do with the charges brought against myself and Pastor Mike Schout. Pray for wisdom for the brothers and peace in the body of Christ.