Light

A Quick Look: Psalm 119:97-105

Really Read It: Psalm 119:57-120

Note: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the whole Bible. If you want to make sure that no chapter will ever be too long for you, read the whole chapter Psalm 119:1-176.

Memorize: Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Walter and Waffle stood on the corner of 43^rd and Crest. Walter read a text message from the president.

“c u 4 dinner @ Ricks 5pm”

“Do you know Rick?” asked Waffle.

“No, but I know that his restaurant has the best coconut pizza in the city.”

“Oh yeah. I remember that. Soooo gooood! See you there.”

“Wait, Waffle. You need to use the GPS. You’ll never remember how to get there.”

Waffle took his GPS out of his pocket. “Yeah right. This little box with all of its beeps and flashes and that funny lady talking is going to get me to the coconut pizza place. I don’t think so.” He tossed the box back into the trash and walked away.

Walter took his GPS out of his pocket and typed the name of the restaurant. He listened to the funny lady and arrived at Rick’s ten minutes early. Waffle was still wondering the streets at 5:00 the next morning.

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Walter and Waffle were without GPS as they hiked along the forest path. But they hardly needed it. All they had to do was stay on the path. That was easy enough in the day time, but as night rolled in seeing the path got harder. Walter pulled out his flashlight and strolled right along. Waffle left his flashlight in his pocket as he called out, “Wimpy Walter was scared of the dark! I’ll race you back to camp!”

As Walter walked along the path he heard Waffle crying out as he smashed into trees and dove into thorn bushes.

Walter won the race.

Waffle didn’t get back until the search party found him the next morning.

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After just two short stories you know that Walter is just about as wise and you are and Waffle is just about as wise as a waffle. So you don’t need to read the story of Walter and Waffle in a submarine or Walter and Waffle climbing the snake tree or the story of Walter and Waffle making waffles. They all end the same way. Or almost the same way. In one story Waffle’s submarine gets stuck in a cave and in one Waffle gets stuck the inside of a snake and in one Waffle cooks his hand in the waffle iron. But they pretty much end the same way.

To make sure that you are smarter than Waffle and smarter than a blueberry waffle, you have to look at why Waffle was so foolish. Waffle ignored something that would help him. All he needed was a voice telling him which way to go. All he needed was a light to see the path. Every time he needed something that he already had. He needed to use what he already had. To pass the wiser-than-Waffle test, you are not going on an adventure with a GPS and a flashlight. Your test uses a book. A big book. The Book.

The Bible is an amazing book of history and ideas. It’s full of great writing and exciting stories. But those are all things that people can put into a book. The Bible is so much better, so much bigger because God put His Words into it. God put hope in that book. He put life in it.

Part of super-long Psalm 119 is about the Word of God. I found three things that you should do when you read the Bible. First thank God for His Word and read it. Next ask God to teach you from His Word and read it. Finally be quick to obey the Word of God after you read it. And when you read the Bible, your life will get better again and again.

This Psalm tells some of the great things about the Bible. The Word of God is eternal. Few things you touch today will last forever, but the Word of God will. It will be there in 2011 when you are trying to decide if you should say, “two thousand eleven,” or “twenty eleven.” The Word of God will be there in 2063 when you are trying to decide what year you become an old person. The Word of God will be there in 2299, 9922, and on and on to the year 999,222,999 and always and forever.

The Word of God makes your heart soft. The Bible makes you ready for God’s presence. It makes you closer to God. So many things make your heart hard (anger, ignoring God, entertainment, and more.) The Word can make it soft again. The Word of God is a comfort. Can a song or a pillow make you feel better if you’re sad? The Word of God is even better at it. The Word of God gives hope. The Word of God preserves life, your life. It can save your life. It can make your life better.

To end, I am going to stick in two more verses. These two could be the second and third place verses for the Weekly Memory Verse. I just had to give them a little extra attention.

Psalm 119:72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

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Nathan is amazed to see God move in power every week at his church. You can see what is happening: http://www.worldrevivalchurch.com

You can find more of Nathan’s writing on lulu and helium.