Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.

The imagery here is very clear and simple: a dark room, and a door opens, light shines in, and suddenly those in the room can see and understand where and what things are. It is a very apt image indeed, as the Bible has much to say about God dwelling in light, and Jesus and those who follow Him being light in the world. The NIV loses that when it translates this verse as “The unfolding of your word brings light.” The writer of this Psalm didn’t know about Jesus as the Light of the Word, much less His followers fulfilling that function, but he loved the Word of God, and that is his focus. That’s a good thing for us to remember today, because our words are light only to the degree that they reflect God’s Word. All true light, as well as all power and authority, stem from Him, and we operate in those to the degree that we are submitted, obedient, and available to Him. As this verse says, God’s Word helps us understand what things are and their relationship to one another, giving us an accurate value system as well as wisdom in our daily activities. It is when we recognize that we are among the “simple” that we wake up to our need for the Word to give us understanding. Those who don’t know Christ don’t know that they are simple!

I keep coming back to the breakthrough it was for me to realize that God’s smart and I’m not, regardless of my IQ or book knowledge. However, I’m still tempted to think I know and understand things on my own, and that’s a trap. I need to let God’s Word fill me indeed, because it’s only by the Word, spoken by the Holy Spirit to my soul, that I have any genuine wisdom and understanding. At the same time, I’m to rest in the assurance that as I trust God and press into Him, He will indeed give me all the wisdom I need. (James 1:5) As a pastor and disciple-maker, I need to teach others to have the same reliance on God and His Word. Few that I deal with have the background in the Bible that I do, but I must not be proud or superior in teaching them, because that immediately removes me from the realm of wisdom. I must remember that everything I have was given by grace, and extend that same grace to others.

Father, help me walk in the light of Your Word so that I may indeed have fellowship with You and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. (1 John 1:7) Help me be an open, effective conduit of Your light to all those I encounter. I pray that You would give them ears to hear Your Word, hearts to receive Your light, so that they may be brought from the dominion of darkness into Your kingdom of light, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!