A Lamp And A Light
BRD REFLECTION 2025
Proverbs 29:1-27 and Psalm 119:97-112 (NIV)
(Alex Lai, Associate Lay Leader)
READ:
The verses that stood out for me are Psalm 119:97-105 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible. It consists of 176 verses, divided into 22 stanzas, of eight verses each, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
In the thirteenth stanza (v97-104), the psalmist proclaims his love for God’s word by meditating on it all day long and obeying God’s commandments. Consequently, he had more insight than all his teachers, more understanding than the elders, and he had kept his feet from every evil path. The psalmist ends this stanza by declaring that God’s word is sweeter than honey.
In the first verse of the fourteenth stanza (v105), the psalmist describes God’s word as “a lamp” and “a light”.
APPLY:
Verse 105 exhorts us to let our life journey be guided only by God’s word. Many of us turn to other ways when we are confused or lost, or when we face challenges and struggles. We fail to realise that there is only one thing that we can trust to point us in the right direction, and that is the word of God.
When I left the banking world in 2022 to join a family office, I went from drawing a monthly salary to being self-employed; the transition was very tough and I did not draw a salary for a year. Every day, I found myself wrestling with God and lamenting about why He did not help me. But in the midst of my despair, I remembered God’s promise in Psalm 37:24, that though we stumble, we will never fall, for the Lord holds us by the hand. I also held on closely to Lamentations 3:22-23 that says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
DO:
1. I will meditate on God’s word every day.
2. I will obey God’s commandments and apply God’s word to my life.
3. My life journey will be guided only by God’s word.
PRAY:
Dear God our Father, I thank You that Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I pray that my life journey will only be anchored to and guided by Your word. Amen.
