Light. It\u2019s something we can\u2019t live without, yet something we often take for granted. Psalm 119 tells us, \u201cYour word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path\u201d (Psalm 119:105). In modern America, where electricity illuminates all things brightly, we tend to assume this means that God will make the path clear and easy to see. But the amount of light shed by an oil lamp\u2014the kind the Psalmist sung about\u2014was far less than we\u2019d be comfortable with today.<\/p>\n
Imagine walking through the streets of a village in 500 B.C. at midnight, with only the stars above and the flicker of a lamp the size of your palm for guidance. Your eyes would be intently fixed on the faint illumination of your path, to avoid tripping. You would be able to see only a few feet ahead and to the side. You would be keenly aware of the intense darkness surrounding you. <\/p>\n
Sometimes we overlook obvious turns in the path because we\u2019re expecting a flashing neon sign to tell us which way to go. We\u2019re waiting for God to shake our hearts up with an earthquake like the one in Exodus 19:18. We want Him to announce Himself with a thunderous voice (John 12:29). However, it\u2019s just as likely\u2014perhaps more<\/em> likely\u2014He will communicate His will to us in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). And it\u2019s very, very likely that what He asks of us will be something small and manageable.<\/p>\n When in doubt about what God wants you to do, work on what you can see needs to be done. Do that hated chore. Finish the project you\u2019ve been avoiding. Call and make the medical appointment you\u2019re afraid to make. Do every one of the things that is already visible in the little circle of light that\u2019s illuminating your path before you complain that you can\u2019t see where to go. God has often already shown us the answer to the question we\u2019re asking.<\/p>\n Jesus said, \u201cWhoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much\u201d (Luke 16:10). There is nothing shameful about being asked to work on little things. Often they\u2019re exactly what we need to prepare our hearts to spread the light of Christ in the way that God desires.<\/p>\n