All of us have heard Amy Grant's song "Thy Word." About five or six years ago, the Edmond senior high youth chorus sang this song at LTC, and I still feel overwhelmed with joy thinking about it:
“Thy Word”
Amy Grant, from Psalm 119
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
When I feel afraid,
And think I’ve lost my way.
Still, you’re there right beside me.
Nothing will I fear
As long as you are near;
Please be near me to the end.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet,
My heart forever is wandering.
Jesus be my guide,
And hold me to your side,
And I will love you to the end.
Nothing will I fear
As long as you are near;
Please be near me to the end.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path.
And a light unto my path.
You’re the light unto my path.
These words are the expressions of an individual before their God, praising the power of their God’s word. Yet not all is well: “ … and yet, my heart forever is wandering.” A part of the human condition is the struggle with a distracted, an impatient, or even an inconstant heart. Yet how much of this problem is a problem of solitude, of individualism, of separation from the people of God?
In fact, this psalm begins with plural pronouns, not singular ones. Is it too much to think that the psalmist is contrasting community with individualism? Here is how the psalmist begins:
Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
Psalm 119:1-3 – NRSV
Together, with accountability to the truth,
our walk can be blameless.
Together, we can walk in the truth of the law of the Lord.
Together, we can be happy in keeping his decrees
and seeking him with our whole heart (as one body).
Together, we will naturally seek to avoid wrong and
walk instead in his ways.
That is why the voice of those young people singing together was so powerful. Together they were affirming their solidarity, their accountability, their purpose in seeking and serving the truth. May God help us to follow their faithful and virtuous example.
Grace and peace,
Ron
