There are some laws that are dumb. For example, I think in our state it is illegal to mispronounce “Arkansas.” That’s a silly law. But there are other laws we’re grateful for. One law that comes to mind as we turn to Psalm 119 is the requirement to have functioning headlights to drive on the highway. That’s a good law. We want drivers to see where they’re going, and we want to be able to see them. Have you ever driven at night and encountered someone coming the other direction without their lights on? You flash your lights—”turn on your lights”!—because you don’t want to hit them, and you don’t want them to hit anyone else.

This is the same exhortation of today’s post. Use the light! Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” My exhortation is that we cling to this truth—not only affirm it in our minds, but live it out practically.

Foundation

First, we establish what we mean by “Your word.” The pronoun “Your” refers to the Lord—Yahweh. The psalmist is speaking to God. This word is the voice of God, breathed out through the Holy Spirit by men under His direct guidance, producing an infallible, inerrant canon of Scripture from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

The Bible is not merely a book that contains the Word of God (a phrase that can be misused); the Bible is the Word of God—66 God-breathed books. Though Psalm 119 was written before the canon was complete, the principle applies to all Scripture. Every jot and tittle is breathed out by God. When we read the Bible, God is speaking to us. That is the foundation.

Illumination 

God’s Word can be thought of as light in two primary ways: the light of His law and His gospel.

The Law

The moral law of God, summarily contained in the Ten Commandments, does three things:

  • It restrains the depravity of sinners 

Where the law of God shines in a society, it checks outward degeneracy. A century or two ago, our nation had greater moral restraint—not because sin was absent, but because the law of God was more publicly honored.

  • It reveals the demand for a Savior 

The law requires personal, perfect, perpetual, and precise obedience. Fail in one point, and you are guilty of the whole law and deserve God’s wrath. The law shows us we cannot save ourselves; our plight demands a Savior.

  • It rules the duties of the saints

For the believer, the law is a rule of life. It directs and obligates us to walk in its precepts. The Word of God alone has authority to tell us what we must do.

The Gospel

The gospel is the good news that the righteous demands of the law—obligating every person and justly condemning all who fail—have been perfectly met in the God-man, Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death we deserved, shedding His blood as the perfect sacrifice, atoning for sin and propitiating God’s wrath. He rose again on the third day. This is good news.

But the light of the gospel does not stop there. An old saying puts it beautifully:  

Run, John, run—the law commands, But gives us neither feet nor hands  
Far better news the gospel brings:  It bids us fly and gives us wings

The light of the law is understood even by unbelievers (“Thou shalt not”), yet it often provokes rebellion. The light of the gospel sovereignly pierces the heart, crushing sinners under the law and restoring them with hope and peace in Christ. Only those broken by the law and healed by the gospel can make the most practical use of our text (Psalm 119:105). 

Application

As believers—adopted children of God—the Word has already shown us our sin, hopelessness, and deserved judgment, and it has revealed Christ’s merits, mercy, atoning sacrifice, resurrection, and grace. By faith alone we are justified, and now we desire to live under the illuminating direction of Scripture.

We do not know what 2026 will bring, but we know this: we are foolish if we attempt to face it without the light of God’s Word.

There is a difference between a map and headlights. A map shows the route from point A to point B. Headlights keep you on the route and prevent you from hitting obstacles. Which of these analogies is most apt to God’s Word? 

Actually, both. The Scriptures show us the way we must go and shine on our path to keep us from straying.

What if there is a great obstacle ahead of you in 2026—a sin, a doctrinal error, something that could derail your life, harm your family, and bring shame to the church? You’re headed straight for it and you can’t see it because of the darkness. 

But there is a way to avoid it—if you would just turn on the lights. The Word of God will show you the way and spare you the sin, misery, shame, and reproach. No, it will not avoid every providential sorrow of life. But even in those times of difficulty it will guide us in hope and trust rather than in destitution and sin.

This book has been burned, banned, scoffed at, and abused—yet it remains. It has shaped nations, changed hearts, overcome sin, sanctified Christians, planted churches, transformed lives, saved relationships, and exalted Christ. We could spend decades extolling its excellencies and never exhaust them.

So what must our habits be as we enter a new year? Some treat the Bible like a miner kicking rocks, finding no gold and going home. Others dig—and they find treasure upon treasure. Even on the surface of Scripture there are immeasurable riches; how much more in its depths!

Do whatever you must do to be in this great Book every day. A typical one year bible reading plan can be completed in just 15 minutes a day. Most of us could sleep 15 minutes less or cut distractions to make it happen. It is an indictment on us if we have time for endless shows and scrolling but not for reading through the Bible. Cancel subscriptions if necessary. Prioritize Scripture with your children. Memorize it together.

Furthermore, never neglect the weekly preached Word in the gathered church. The preaching of Scripture by qualified men is the primary means of grace for God’s people together. To neglect it is to say, “I’m not worried about the darkness. I don’t care about the sin crouching at the door or the devil prowling like a lion.”

What we need in 2026 is more light—lasting light.

God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

May we revere it, trust it, and let it seep deeply into every thought, motivation, and affection for the glory of Christ.