

"O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing, Shall pierce the darkness of our earthbound way And show Your grace, Your plan for us unveiling, And guide our footsteps to the perfect day.
"Undimmed by time, those words are still revealing To sinful hearts Your justice and Your grace; And questing spirits, longing for Your healing, See Your compassion in the Savior's face."
Many people, even some who call themselves Christians, try to discredit the Scriptures. The Bible is ancient, they say, so it is not relevant to today's world. How can words written thousands of years ago have any bearing on life in this modern world? These individuals claim that the Scriptures are not inspired by God but are merely stories invented by the early church. The miracles of Jesus, even His resurrection, are described as myths. These frightening and false ideas should not surprise us. Satan, who hates the Word, began his tempting discussion with Eve in Eden by asking, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1b). The evil foe wants us to doubt the Word of God.
The Scriptures are ancient, but as our hymn rightly proclaims, the Spirit-inspired words are "undimmed by time." Still today the Word reveals "to sinful hearts" God's justice and grace. In His Word, across the centuries, through generation after generation God unveiled His plan of salvation. From Eden onward, the Word pierced "the darkness of our earthbound way" with the promise of a Savior to come. The Scriptures tell us how God acted in time and history to save and guide His people. The Word reveals to us the fulfillment of God's promise: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). It is no myth or invented story. Jesus our Lord was born among us, born of a virgin, to save us. He suffered and died at a specific time in history, "under Pontius Pilate," as we confess in the Apostles' Creed. Jesus rose in victory over death, never to die again, and we have the eyewitness testimony of the apostles, who saw, touched, and ate with the risen Lord.
The Word, as relevant today as it was in ancient times, is a lamp and a light to "guide our footsteps to the perfect day." In Holy Scripture we read and hear the words of our Savior. When we stumble on the way, as we so often do, the Word assures us that we are forgiven for the sake of Christ Jesus. We see in the ancient Scriptures God's "compassion in the Savior's face." What could ever be more relevant than that?
WE PRAY: Lord, guide me in the study of Your holy Word. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "O God of Light," which is number 836 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. How have your ideas about the Bible changed since when you were younger?
2. How does God's Word bring light to your life when things are uncertain?
3. What can you do, beginning today, to improve your understanding of the Scriptures?
Today's Bible Readings: 2Kings 1-3 James 1
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