Light For The Path

November 18th, 2008

I enjoyed speaking to the children at Kickstart this week on God’s words being light on the dark pathway. I was reminded of Jon and Kristen’s Wedding Day 11 years ago. It was a bright, cold December Saturday afternoon in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.  Houses were festooned with Christmas lights. We had visited New York earlier in the week, an unforgettable experience; Christmas time in the Big Apple is magical. 

It was a great Wedding Service. The Reception was held in a venue a few miles out of town. Heather and I were lent a car and given instructions to get to the venue. We volunteered to take all the drink in the trunk! By now it was quite dark. Unfamiliar roads, unfamiliar car, we set off and got well and truly lost. How embarrassing! It was countryside with no streetlights, no signposts. The car’s interior light didn’t work; we had no torch, no map, no mobile phone. We drove round for what seemed ages until we stumbled across a store where there was some light and life! 

After several more stops for directions, a kind driver said ‘Follow me’. We were miles from our destination, but eventually arrived in the middle of proceedings, to everyone’s relief, and with the drink still intact! 

The writer of Psalm 119 says: ‘By Your words I can see where I am going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path’. Later Jesus proclaims he is the Light of the World, and invites us to follow him.  

Want to know direction in the dark pathway of life? Listening, reading and following the words of Jesus give us illumination for the way ahead.  And what’s more, he travels with us.  

David Thatcher

Filed under: Thought of the Week