Into the Light

It was one of the shorter texts that I learned while growing up in a church- going family:

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” [Psalm 119:105, KJV]

The potential of this text for triggering the imagination was massive.

I could imagine one of those old-fashioned kerosene lamps – the kind that you had
to light with a match – swinging from my hand as I walked on a dark and mysterious forest trail.

I could imagine a big flashlight that used a bunch of D-sized batteries and threw out a massive light that would freeze predators in their tracks when it shone on them.

I could imagine a match – just one match – struck quickly until it flamed brightly, and then using it to light a candle that suddenly illuminated the whole room when it flared and caught hold.

Even now when I read this text, it is in grand and heroic terms that I imagine what the light of God’s word is capable of. It can be as personal as a flashlight held

in my hands, with guidance that is only for me. Or it can be as bright as a beacon, providing enough light to help save a multitude.

Knowing how vast and how varied God’s care can be, it can feel like you are living
in a grand adventure, where the light and help you need is thrust into your hands at just the right moment – and it can also feel like the spark of light from a single candle that is meant for you and you alone to see and be comforted by.

Terry Forde is President and CEO of Adventist HealthCare.