A Lamp To My Feet
Notes
Transcript
Spelunking Story
When I was in college, I was an RA. That means I was in charge of one of the halls where about 20 other guys lived. Part of the RA training every year was a trip to Colorado where we would do team building and leadership exercises, Bible studies, and things like this. All of our activities were, naturally, centered around the outdoors. The trip was a week long, and I loved every minute of it.
One morning, John, who was in charge of the trip, told us he was changing the plan. “I think you guys are ready for this, but this is going to be risky. I’ve never done this with a group before.” We were all wondering what this meant. Then he told us, “I’m going to take you spelunking.”
Now I had heard that word before, but I didn’t really know what that meant. He explained, “cave exploring.” Oh! That sounds fun. But we weren’t going to go to a tourist cave, we were going to go to a cave that he knew about because he had grown up in that area.
We drove to the foot of a small mountain, and up we went. We were hiking for about 45 minutes when we got to a flat spot on the mountain, and John suddenly disappeared. Then I saw his face from down in the ground, “come on in! It’s this way.” So we went in the cave.
First we had to climb down into the cave, which was a feat all in itself. Then when we got to the bottom, we all turned off our lights. The cave was pitch black except for a few beams of light that snuck in where we came from and one more up ahead.
We realized in that moment how important flashlights were. Every step had to be careful as we explored the cave. Some sections were large halls, and we could hear our voices echo. Some sections were so narrow you had to shimmy your way through.
A verse comes to mind: Psalm 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
At the very end of our time in the cave, we got to the most narrow section of the cave. We had to slide and crawl through narrow passages. And then, the drop off. All I could see in front of me was my team members sitting on a ledge, and then sliding down.
When it got to my turn, I hung my legs over the edge but there was no rope to hang on to. I could see John on the ground shining his light up at me. He said, “press your arms and legs on each rock wall, and slowly slide down.” I couldn’t see the bottom, but I could see John’s light. I guessed it was about 30 feet away. My heart was racing as I lifted off of the ledge and began sliding down. At first I was sliding too fast, but I pressed harder against the rock wall and slowed down. I slid for what felt like forever, but I kept my eyes on John’s flashlight. I made it to the bottom, and realized the drop wasn’t as far as I had thought. It was maybe 15 or 20 feet.
Had I not had a light to guide me, I would not have been able to get down. The same is true of our lives.
A flashlight is only useful when we have it on us and we know how to use it. When it comes to God’s word, this is why we memorize. It’s always on us, and God brings verses to mind when we need them. When we need guidance, when we feel lost, when everything around us feels dark. We have a guiding light.
In the same way that I needed a flashlight to guide my steps, the Word of God guides my steps. It makes me wise, and keeps me (when I follow it) from making bad choices.