How do we find God’s perfect will for our life? A great place to start is using your lamp and your light.
Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ESV
Ps 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. ESV
In verse 105 the word lamp (candle) refers to the specific Word of God for our present circumstances. It illuminates the exact area in which our feet are standing and is provided to keep us from stumbling in the dark as we move along the way. It lights up those things that would otherwise be unseen obstacles.
The word as a light (bright clear or morning sun) speaks to the entire Word of God for our life’s path. It aids us in determining which crossroad to follow and path to take (2 Pet 1:19). This distinction between a lamp and a light is pointed out by Solomon …
Prov 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life ESV
We will have our path illuminated and obtain understanding through His Word. The path that we need to have illuminated is His will for each one of us. When His Word enters our life, it brings with it light which shows us that path. Above all we should keep our lamps filled with oil (the Holy Spirit) to ensure that the flame doesn’t flicker and dim.
In verse 130 we see that it is the Word entering into us that generates the light. That light is the revelation of the Holy Spirit. He always brings understanding of the Word of God and how it is to be applied to our lives. The Septuagint translates this verse as: the manifestation of thy words enlightens. Martin Luther puts it this way: When thy word is revealed, so it delivers us, and makes the simple wise. In either case we know who it is that “manifests” and “reveals.” The entrance or opening spoken of here is the gateway to the mind for that revelation. In other words, the Holy Spirit brings light to our minds by revelation of the Word of God, through which we who are simple (easily seduced) gain discernment and wisdom. How will we know the truth from the false without it? Finally look at the literal Hebrew thought contained in this verse: The opening of the eyes of the soul caused by the entering of the Word of God.
We need to keep a light shined on where we are going tomorrow but don’t let it become the sole focus. It’s the lamp that keeps us from stumbling over the rocks in our path today.