August 31 – Light Giver and Keeper

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”  Psalm 18:28 (ESV)

A good number of the Psalms written by David expressed how he felt about what God had promised. Psalm 18 was written and spoken to the Lord in song when David was delivered by God from the hand of King Saul who wanted to kill him.  It reminds us of how much God is involved in our lives. There is so much darkness in this world and it seems to be getting darker. Our reaction might be despair and fear. We are challenged to not become lost in the darkness and when we become children of God by faith in His Son Jesus as our Savior.  We begin to see the difference and to see things in a different way, as God gives us light that overcomes darkness. Just as David realized that God continues to work in our lives – we learn it is day by day and year by year. When darkness tempts us to be overcome by the darkness around us and tempts us to give up, then we remember the promise that our Lord is the keeper of our light He keeps our lamp burning. Let's thank God today for the light he has given to us.

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October 15 – Darkness Into Light

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 (NIV) 

David sang to the Lord in gratitude for His help during the dark periods of his life. Perhaps this has been our experience, too.  There may have been times in our life when the prospects were dark for us but then we have realized that our God is still with us and helping us?  How wonderful to know that when we go through dark hours our God is aware of what is going on in our thinking. Then we hear Him speaking words of assurance, reminding us of His presence. Our faith is renewed by these assurances and that is what David meant about keeping his lamp burning. It may still be dark around us but our lamps are burning and it is God at work in us. God is in the business of turning our darkness into His light for His glory and our blessings. 

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August 27 – Lighting Our Way

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

This verse reminds us that as we live our lives as believers in the Lord we are on our way toward eternity. It speaks of our lives as if we are walking every day and we need help from God to make our way toward the destination which our God has set before us.  Yes, our activities should bring us closer and closer to God's plans for our eternal destination.  God helps us in more than one way but one very important help is providing a light for our path through His Word.  It is from the Bible that we receive the wisdom and guidance we need to progress in our walk with God.  God leads us through His teaching in the Bible and when we find ourselves in a dark place we do not need to think we are lost because God's Word is a lamp for our feed.  

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March 9 – Always Our Light In Our Darkness

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”   Psalm 18:28  (NIV)

We are told by those who study these things that David composed this psalm and sang it when he had come through a difficult patch in his life.  David had many such times in his life running and hiding from King Saul who wanted to kill him.  Perhaps we do not have someone pursuing us to kill us but we all find ourselves in dark and difficult places in our life.  Our God is the same today as He was when He was watching over David.  Without God helping us we would find ourselves lost in that darkness.  But God keeps the light on for us.  God promises to turn our darkness into light, to help us see Him and the path He has made for us even when the darkness of many threats and trials descend on us.  Yes, life gets complicated and sometimes things happen to us and our family that makes seeing the way difficult.  But God is always with us and with this promise that if we turn to Him, we will see as He is our eternal light.  He will never leave us or desert us in darkness but will be with us always in light.

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August 27 – Until the Dawn

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”   2 Peter 1:19 (NASB)

Our God knows the needs of His people. He knows that we could not get along spiritually by ourselves in this world.  That is why He has revealed His thoughts to us in the Bible.  We have our Bibles to read and we have opportunity to hear God's Word taught and preached.  This privilege is what the Apostle Peter wrote about in the verse we have chosen for today.  What would we do without the Scriptures which God has had recorded and preserved so well for us?  We would really be in the dark about God and His creation and His love for us, wouldn't we?  Peter compares God's Word to a light shinning in a dark place.  And, Peter recommends that we pay attention to what it says and teaches us.  If you've ever walked a path at night without light to guide your way, you know how important a torch or flashlight is to avoid the rocks, holes and even snakes on the path.  God's Word is a light to our path in life which helps us to avoid the pitfalls and the snares and the evil workers who wish to trip us up.  Trusting God's Word will guide us until the dawn when there will no longer be any darkness. 

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July 17 – A Light on the Straight Way

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

Over the next six days we are going to focus on verses from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. [See the Note below.]  The emphasis of this Psalm is about the Word of God.  We sometimes think of life as a journey that we are all taking through time.  We speak of walking through life and the psalmist draws that picture for us.  None of us know what is ahead of us so it's like walking in the dark where we need a light.  God knows that we need help in going through life and He has given us guidance.  The Bible is like a guide-book that illuminate our way for us if we pay attention to it.  This is why the psalmist pictures God's Word for us as a lamp which God has given to us.  It gives us vision to see the way God has set before us. He promises to make our way straight and He gives us what we need to see that way. 

Notes on Psalm 119 

February 9 – The Light of Faith

“For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” Psalm 18:28 (ESV)

Some of the the psalms by David were written during a time when others were trying to kill him.  Our verse today come from Psalm 18 that was written when the Lord had delivered him from his enemies. David remembers the darkness when he was fleeing for his life and spending time hiding in caves and other places. He remembered how God had brought light to those dark hours and had kept his faith burning. God knows our needs – the needs of each individual. He knows when we are surrounded by darkness because of circumstances. God also knows how to keep our faith burning brightly. When our lamp of faith is burning it dispels the darkness in our lives. Yes, when our lamp is burning then we can see the things happening around us the way God wants us to see them.  What a wonderful promise to hold and to trust every day.

August 31 – Light in Darkness

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 (NIV)

So many of the psalms were written to express how the psalmist felt about God and what God had promised. Today we have again, a reminder of how much God is involved in our lives. We are reminded the great difference between the world around us and God's great purpose for us. There is so much darkness in this world and it seems to be getting darker. We are challenged to not become lost in the darkness and when we become children of God by faith in His Son Jesus as our Savior, we begin to see the difference.  We begin to see things in a different way, as God turns the darkness into light. The psalmist who wrote our verse for today realized that God continues to work in our lives day by day and year by year. When we are tempted to be overcome by the darkness around us and tempted to give up, we can then remember the promise that our Lord keep our lamp burning. Let's thank God today for the light he has given to us.

October 15

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” Psalm 18:28 (NIV) 

David sang to the Lord in gratitude for His help during a dark period of his life. Has this been your experience, too? Have there been times when the prospects were dark for you but you have realized that your God is still with you and helping you? How wonderful to know that when we go through dark hours our God is aware of what is going on in our thinking. Then we hear Him speaking words of assurance, reminding us of His presence. Our faith is renewed by these assurances and that is what David meant about keeping his lamp burning. It may still be dark around us but our lamps are burning and it is God at work in us.