Our next bite sized piece of this chapter took me on a whole different path. In the wee hours of the morning, the verses from James 1 kept popping up in my quiet time.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 NASB
Really, this lead to me to really search my life and see where I had doubt that was canceling my mustard seed of faith. When you sit down to think about it, it's amazing how if you closely examine yourself, you'll see where maybe your mind wavered just a little bit and you had to whip it in shape and kick the doubt, ever so small, to the curb.
But even so, the words wouldn't leave my thoughts. So if you know me by now, I pulled up my bible app, dimmed the light on my device, and looked at the next section of Psalm 37:
The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. Psalm 37:23-24 AMPC
I like how the AMPC version translated the KJV of "...and he delighteth in his way” in verse 23. Why? The AMPC indicated that he was busy with every step you make. When I read the KJV to see if it applies to doubt or faith, I got stuck on the word delight. The AMPC version gave me a video of God going the extra mile for me!
I know I was stuck on this word because I'd been reviewing prefixes and suffixes with my children for exams and each prefix has a meaning. While de- wasn't in the list, I know it to normally mean 'to remove'. To me, delight is made up of de- and light. So does this mean He removes the light from our way.
Heck no! How do I know? Well as a child, I learned a song that said:
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
When I got older, I learned this was a scripture found in Psalm 119:105. And since then, this little song has never left me.
But of course, if His word says here that it is a lamp and a light, then there is no way He removes the light from our path.
So I dug deeper. Researching other meanings of de-. Searching out origins and such, and I stumbled across a few other people who asked the same about the word delight and wondered if we have been using it wrong all this time.
But my quick search took me to the Latin translation indicating that de- is "also used as a prefix in Latin usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from," but also "down to the bottom, totally" hence "completely"..." (dictionary.com). And this makes complete sense...to me.
His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our our paths. Our feet are down. The path is down. His light completely lights our path at our feet as we walk. And here I got excited.
In a conversation with my sister. She reminded me that I kept wanting to see the entire path rather than the lighted portion found at my feet and through complete trust and faith in God, with each step, the path will be lit.
According the the AMPC version, God spends a significant amount of time lighting my way at my path. De-lights - lights completely and/or down at my feet. And if you know me, I've stumbled trying to see the full path. But guess what! When I stumble, He's ALWAYS there to catch me cause like we said in part ..., HE GOT ME!!!! He won't let me fall. He not only has a light on my way, but he has my hand in His hand.
Can you picture yourself, holding the hand of your little one as they are learning to walk. Unsure of each step but trusting that you have their hand and you won't let them fall! Isn't it cool to know our Daddy has our hand in His strong and mighty hand. That He's holding us, keeping us up, even when we stumble. Especially as we learn to walk.
I recently discovered that while I have a lot of knowledge of the word, I still had many childlike qualities in many areas. So I affirm, this day, to take my Daddy's hand, and as I stumble, learning to walk with a lamp at my feet on a lighted path, I will trust that he is busying himself with each step I take to make sure I never have to walk in darkness.
Hot-diggity-dog! How awesome is that!
Excitedly,
Keiyia JOYet George
This was such and exciting writing. Here it is after 2:00 in the morning, and God is hanging out with me just to remind me, once again, that He would never leave my side. Isn't this exciting!!! Leave a comment and share a time when He showed you he was there...always!!!!
Psalms 37 Series
Part 1 - Evildoers
Part 2 - Do Good
Part 3 - Heart's Desire
Part 4 - The Son Will Rise and Shine For You
Part 5 - REST
Part 6 - Soar Like an Eagle
Part 7 - Seek the Kingdom
Part 8 - It's Not Your Fight
Part 9 - You Will Reap It All
Part 10 - He Got You
Part 11 - Give It Up