October 19, 2015

“I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:100-105

“During World War II, small compasses saved the lives of 27 sailors 300 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Waldemar Semenov, a retired merchant seaman, was serving as a junior engineer aboard the SS Alcoa Guide when a German submarine surfaced and opened fire on the ship. The ship was hit, caught fire, and began to sink. Semenov and his crew lowered compass-equipped lifeboats into the water and used the compasses to guide them toward the shipping lanes closer to shore. After three days, the men were rescued. The psalmist reminded God’s people that His Word was a trustworthy “compass.” He likened it to a lamp. In that day, the flickering light cast by an olive oil lamp was only bright enough to show a traveler his next step. To the psalmist, God’s Word was such a lamp, providing enough light to illuminate the path for those pursuing God (Ps. 119:105). When the psalmist was wandering in the dark on a chaotic path of life, he believed that God, through the guidance of His Word, would provide direction.

When we lose our bearings in life, we can trust our God who gives His trustworthy Word as our compass, using it to lead us into deeper fellowship with Him.” (Our Daily Bread devotions, G*d’s Compass, September 15, 2015)

Have you ever been out late at night, or hiking in the woods when suddenly you realize that you are lost – that you have lost your bearings? There is nothing more frightening than the feeling that you are lost, and there is no one around to help you gain your bearing. And there is nothing more frightening than to be lost at sea, at night, without a compass, an oar, or a light. I am always amazed when I go to the beach, and sit there and look out onto the vast ocean. It is an amazing sight during the day, it is an awesome sight at night because the vastness of the ocean is magnified by the darkness. And as I gaze out upon the ocean, I am able to pick out one or two pin-pricks of light way off in the distance. As a child, I used to sit and look at these lights and wonder how far away they were — and who was at the other end of the light.

I remember the story of a young gal who was traveling with her parents in an airplane when it crashed at night, killing both her parents — but she survived. She knew instinctively that she needed to leave the sight of the crash and try to find some help. In the darkness she saw a small light off in the distance. She began to walk, and walk, through difficult and dangerous terrain without shoes for she had lost her shoes in the plane crash. But what kept her going was that light off in the distance – for she believed that it would lead her to someone who could help.

The word of G*d is a light in the darkness of the world, a word that continues to lead us and guide us — even when all else seems to be transient and fails us over time. Jesus told the world that he is the light of the world, and if we follow his light, his teachings and his love, they will be the compass that will guide us throughout our lives.

Pastor Dave