A Beam of Light on my Dark Path
LECTIO DIVINA OF PSALM 119
Joy is not the absence of pain, but the presence of God.
~Elisabeth Elliot
Take a few moments to quietly prepare your heart to enter God’s presence. Intentionally release the chaos and the noise in your mind. Read these passages slowly, lingering over the words. After each reading, take a few moments to silently reflect. Afterwards, spend a few minutes in prayer over what you received from God’s Word and give thanks for His amazing words of life
After the 1st passage: Listen for a word or phrase that particularly strikes you.
After the 2nd passage: Listen to how the passage seems to touch your life experience.
After the 3rd passage: Reflect on the questions below.*
PSALM 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.
I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.
I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
(ESV)
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Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey your righteous regulations.
I have suffered much, O Lord; restore my life again as you promised.
Lord, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations.
My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments.
Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight.
I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.
(NLT)
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By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.
I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order.
Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word.
Adorn me with your finest sayings, God; teach me your holy rules.
My life is as close as my own hands, but I don’t forget what you have revealed.
The wicked do their best to throw me off track,
but I don’t swerve an inch from your course.
I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever— what a gift!
And how happy it makes me! I concentrate on doing exactly what you say—
I always have and always will.
(MSG)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS*
Knowing my inability to satisfy the law of God, what problems arise when I read this Psalm? Can I articulate agitations in my own heart when I read this?
What are trusted authoritative words (that are not Scripture) that I use to light the way forward? In what ways have they proven trustworthy or disappointed me?
Where do I first turn when facing pain and suffering? How does it bring relief? How does it amplify the suffering?
Jesus is always quoting Psalms (even on the cross). How does this Psalm sound differently when you imagine Jesus singing it? How do we experience his perfect love by him perfectly completing the law for us?
*For a more interactive experience, download the printable tool at the button below.
We invite you to download and use the Lectio Divina tool, linked above, to enhance your experience.