MOVING STEP BY STEP WITH YOUR GUIDE AND GUARDIAN

20th OCTOBER 2022

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” – Psalm 119:105

Today, my soul and spirit touched on a popular hymn that struck a deep chord in my spirit way back in the ’80s. The song is titled “Be Thou My Guardian and My Guide”. It is a song composed by one Isaac Williams (1802-1865), which song was first published in Williams’s Hymns on the Catechism (1842). The song is said to have been based on the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘And lead us not into temptation.  The four stanzas of the hymn popularly sang are reproduced below:

 Be Thou my Guardian and my Guide

 

Be Thou my Guardian and my Guide;

And hear me when I call;

Let not my slippery footsteps slide,

And hold me lest I fall.

 

The world, the flesh, and Satan dwell

Around the path I tread;

O, save me from the snares of hell,

Thou Quickener of the dead.

 

And if I tempted am to sin,

And outward things are strong,
Do Thou, O Lord, keep watch within,
And save my soul from wrong.

Still, let me ever watch and pray,
And feel that I am frail;
that if the tempter cross my way,
Yet, he may not prevail.

 This song explains that certain elements of human nature form the basis of sin and death in our lives. These elements are; the world, the flesh, and Satan. The Scripture says Satan roams about in the world looking for whom to devour. What is more, Satan accesses us through our flesh! But we are not likely to avoid Satan as he roams about in the world for the reason that God has already decreed that Satan will continue to roam the world until the last day when God will cast him into hell! (Rev. 20:10). Satan is looking for whom to devour, to mislead, and derail from the path of success and salvation. Everyone runs the risk of getting bitten by Satan; That is possible due to our human frailty that our exposure to sin has further weakened. Nevertheless, the song prays to God, “Let not my slippery footsteps slide, and hold me lest I fall.”

For God to lead us out of temptation and out of Satan’s paths, we must submit to God’s guardianship and allow him to be our guide. When God becomes our guardian and Guide, He definitely will lead us along the right part, keeping watch over us to ensure that we do not dash our feet against a stone! To have our soul or life continually in our hands implies constant danger of life; Hence we must not forget God’s promises nor his precepts!

 How do we submit to God’s guardianship and also allow Him to be our guide? We submit to God’s guardianship and rulership through His word and obedience to His word. We study the word of God and allow the word to take root and grow in our hearts and mind. The word grows faster in our mind when we have become “doers of the word”. Today’s word tells us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” This is only true to the extent to which we become obedient to God’s command.

The word of God should guide us daily, leading us to the fulfilment of the plan and purpose of God for us. When we do not read the word of God and do the word, our feet become slippery, and for sure, we become vulnerable, and after a while, we fall completely off the tracks, derailed and misled. At times, the resultant effects flowing from that may turn out shameful! Therefore, this is the time to offer your obedience to God’s command. Invite God to come to dwell with you and guide you into the perfection of His plan and purpose for your life.

 PRAYER

In the name of Jesus Christ, Father, take hold of my heart and let your word take root and grow in my heart. Father, your word and your Divine Spirit make way for me today. I decree each of my needs shall be established this day. AMEN.

FURTHER READING: Psalm 112:4; Psalm 119:1-176; Proverbs 6:23; Hebrews 4:12