Today Daily Devotional

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

— Psalm 119:105

My headlamp is a useful piece of gear for hiking and camping. I’ve used it for walking at night and for finding things in the dark. But during a snowstorm one day, when temperatures dropped well below freezing on the Appalachian Trail, my headlamp battery died, rendering it completely useless.

Thankfully, on our path through life we have a light that won’t fail: God’s Word.

Psalm 119 is one long celebration of God’s Word. The psalmist celebrates the eternal truth and reliability of God’s Word, calling it a lamp for his feet. Now, this is not like stadium lights, so bright that they seem to change darkness to day. Instead, this is more like my headlamp, for moving along step by step. This light illuminates the step I am taking right now, and then the next one. Knowing God’s Word does not make us God. It reveals the love, faithfulness, and power of the God we depend on. It teaches an obedience that gives us confidence to walk with God on dark pathways.

In this digital age, instant information makes daily tasks easier. Google can show us the fastest route for a trip. YouTube can show us how to hang drywall or plant a tree.

But only God’s Word can lead us in the paths that God approves and chooses for us.

Lord Jesus, may your Word guide our paths and be the joy of our hearts. Amen.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. . . .

— Psalm 23:4

I went hiking solo on the Appalachian Trail. Before I left for this trip, some friends asked, “Is it safe to hike alone?” Yes, thankfully, it is. You do, however, need to be careful to avoid the companionship of ticks, those tiny arachnids that can make you very sick. And even if I am the only person traveling through a wilderness area, I know I am never alone.

In Psalm 23, God promises to protect his people in the many challenging, difficult circumstances of life. Chief among the promises here is the assurance of God’s presence. God promises to walk with us through green pastures and along babbling brooks when life’s pathways are clear and smooth. God also promises to be with us through thorny stretches, and even through “the darkest valley,” where we may face “the shadow of death,” as some translations put it. Those are paths that we tremble even to think about.

What assurance does God give of his protection? He promises, “I am with you.” This means that wherever we walk, and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, we are never alone. Who is our Redeemer? He is Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

Psalm 23 doesn’t promise that our lives will be easy or even safe. But with the promise of God’s enduring presence in our lives, we can walk boldly with him as we seek to serve him wherever we are.

Lord, you have given us your presence through your Holy Spirit. Help us to trust and serve you. Amen.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked. . . .

— Psalm 1:1

One morning on my weeks-long hike of the Appalachian Trail, I started off in the wrong direction and walked some distance before I realized my mistake. So I turned around and headed back the right way. No harm done. But walking through life in the wrong direction would be quite another matter.

Psalm 1 warns about going the wrong way in life, by walking, standing, and sitting with the wicked. “But,” you might ask, “shouldn’t we befriend sinners, as Jesus did, out of God’s caring love?” Yes, of course. But if we “walk in step” with the wicked, that means going along in their direction, on their chosen way—not God’s. We are created to live in fellowship with God. When we walk with God, we flourish like trees “planted by streams of water,” strong and firmly rooted in the goodness and love of God, bearing good fruit that can help others taste and see the goodness of living for God.

People who reject and turn away from God, however, are lost. They lack a firm foundation and are easily blown away as they seek fleeting pleasures and alluring deceptions in this world.

How do we know we’re on the right path? We need to read, study, and reflect on God’s Word, taking it all to heart. Only in God’s Word and by his Spirit can we find the way to full life and flourishing.

Lord, you have given us your Son and your Word. Help us to read your Scriptures, treasure them in our hearts, and follow the path they set for us. Amen.

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.

— 1 Kings 19:3-4

On a day’s hike to Whiskey Hollow, near Markham, Vir­ginia, I clocked about 20 miles, the equivalent of a “day’s journey” in the Bible. Though worn out when I arrived, I was pleased to have put some distance behind me.

Elijah’s experience after a day’s journey was quite different. Entirely spent, he collapsed under a bush. He was physically, emotionally, and spiritually shattered. Before sinking into sleep, he pleaded with God, “I have had enough. . . . Take my life. . . .”

Elijah had just come from a fierce battle with the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Now he was fleeing for his life from the wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. In response to Elijah’s utter exhaustion and desperation, God sent an angel to provide water and warm cakes. When Elijah finally revived, he walked another 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb. There God spoke to Elijah and met with him, telling him the plans he still had for Elijah and for others to do. God gave Elijah renewed hope for the future.

In our own lives, we too can count on God to meet and refresh us in our times of distress and collapse. In fact, God already has done that for us through Jesus, who offers us rest for our souls and salvation to new life (Matthew 11:28-30). We can trust him with ­every step we take.

Lord Jesus, in our times of desperation and need, renew and sustain us as we journey through this life. Amen.

In all of the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out. . . .

— Exodus 40:36

I had eaten the last of my peanut butter on the Appalachian Trail and needed more food. So at Rockfish Gap, I decided I would leave the trail and go into town to replenish.

That’s not how the Israelites made decisions during their wilderness journey. They waited for a signal. God had instructed his people to build a tabernacle, a large tent, to serve as a portable sanctuary for worship. At the tabernacle God would dwell in their midst, and the people could worship him there. God’s glory hovered over the tent, and whenever it lifted, they would set out and follow wherever God would lead them next.

The tabernacle in the wilderness pointed forward to the temple that would be built in Jerusalem many years later (1 Kings 6). What’s more, both the tabernacle and the temple pointed forward to another mark of God’s presence among his people. John 1:14 tells us that “the Word”—that is, Jesus—“became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The original Greek text there says, more literally, that “the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us, and we beheld his glory.” Jesus came to bring God’s glory in human flesh among his people, and now, through the Holy Spirit, he lives in our hearts and is present with us wherever we go. He calls us to serve others, and he promises never to leave or forsake us.

Jesus, you came to live among us. Help us to know your presence today and always, as you lead and guide us in our journey to serve you and others. Amen.

“Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

— Genesis 45:5

After a grueling afternoon on the Appalachian Trail, I stopped to rest, exhausted, by a gurgling stream. I’d been hiking the “Roller Coaster,” a section of trail with ten steep ascents and descents in the mountains of Virginia.

The steep rises and plunges of the “Roller Coaster” reminded me of the experience of Joseph. As a young man, Joseph was bright and full of life, the favorite of his father. That drove his brothers crazy with jealousy and envy, however. And one day those brothers took revenge, selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt. There we see him rise and fall, gaining honor but also getting thrown into prison for a wrong he did not commit. But God was with Joseph, and eventually God raised him to become a ruler in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh the king.

Later, when his brothers came to Egypt to buy food because there was a great famine, they found themselves in the hands of Joseph and were afraid he would take revenge on them. But Joseph had learned about depending on God. He saw God’s watchful care in all the ups and downs of his life, and he saw how God had planned to save many lives through him.

As we experience ups and downs in life, we can take comfort that in all circumstances God is with us, redeeming and purifying us for work that he has planned for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Lord Jesus, help us to take comfort in your sure and steady hand and to trust in your purposes and plans for our lives. Amen.

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.

— Genesis 22:14

Leaving Cornelius Creek on the Appalachian Trail one morning in Virginia, I began the long, steep climb to Apple Orchard Mountain. Stopping frequently, I leaned against trees to catch my breath. As I struggled up the mountain, I thought about Abraham’s hike into the mountains with Isaac.

God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to the region of Moriah and to sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a mountain there. So Abraham obeyed. Reaching the mountain, they slowly climbed to “the place God had told him about.” Isaac noted that they had no lamb for the burnt offering, but Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Abraham then bound his son and placed him on the altar. But as Abraham took the knife to sacrifice his son, God stopped him, saying, in effect, “Now I know that you trust me above all else.”

What a horrifying scene! We might ask, “What kind of father is Abraham? And what kind of God is this?” Or perhaps we should ask, “What was God actually planning and revealing here?” Looking back, we see that while Abraham was being tested, he also trusted God to provide the lamb in place of his son. And looking ahead, we see that God provided his own Son, Jesus, as the Lamb of God, who died in our place to pay for our sin and give us eternal life (John 1:29; 3:16)!

Father, while we struggle to understand this test of Abraham, guide us to live by faith, knowing that your own Son gave up his life for us. Amen.

“Go, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

— Genesis 13:17

It was damp and cold when I woke in the morning at Matt’s Creek on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. After crawling out of my sleeping bag, eating some cold oatmeal with nuts, and loading my pack, I was back on the trail. My destination for that day was the Punchbowl Shelter. As I walked, the clouds slowly drifted away and the sun broke through. By mid-morning it was a lovely day, and I was thinking about Abraham’s long walk through Canaan.

God had brought Abram (whom he later renamed Abraham) and his household on a long journey from Harran (in present-day Turkey) to the land of Canaan (present-day Israel). God had made promises, and Abraham had trusted God, taking him at his word (Genesis 12:1-7).

As we can see in today’s passage, God promised to give Abraham all of the land that he could see around him in Canaan. And God said, “Go, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants there, and Abraham settled in that land and worshiped the Lord.

As I reached Punchbowl Shelter, I gave thanks for Abraham’s example. God might not call us to journey on foot, but he does call each of us to follow him in faith and faithfulness. And through Jesus, a descendant of Abraham, God keeps his promises to us.

Lord Jesus, give us the faith and faithfulness to follow where you lead, trusting in you. Amen.

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

— Genesis 6:22

About 3 million people hike along the Appalachian Trail each year. About 3,000 people try to walk the entire trail—from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. But only about 25 percent of those manage to finish. It takes grit to hike 5 million steps!

Noah had grit. Noah’s story isn’t about walking a trail, but about building an ark. And if you’ve ever built anything, you know that it involves many steps in a process. Gathering materials, measuring, cutting, fitting, shaping, joining, finishing. Piece by piece, the ark took shape. God had commanded Noah to build an enormous lifeboat on dry land. It took Noah years to complete what seemed an impossible, ludicrous project. Imagine the courage, resolve, and sheer stamina it took to work on the ark day after day as his neighbors mocked him.

God chose Noah not for his grit but for his faith. When he received God’s command, Noah didn’t hesitate. Though he may have had doubts, he acted in faith, step by step, until the ark was ready.

Hebrews 11:7 commends Noah for his active faith. In the face of what seemed ridiculous and impossible, Noah walked with God. We may not finish every task we try to accomplish for God’s kingdom, but if we step out in faith in obedience to God, we walk with the Lord in his strength.

Lord Jesus, help us to live by faith in you, with courage, confidence, and boldness in following, obeying, and serving you in the world. Amen.

Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

— Genesis 5:24

Walking a long-distance trail can give you a feeling of timelessness. Although the landscape changes, the day-to-day rhythm remains the same: walk, eat, sleep; repeat. The life of Enoch, an early descendant of Adam and Eve, also has a sense of timelessness about it. He lived for 365 years and did not die!

Yet Enoch’s lifespan was short for his family. Enoch’s father, Jared, lived to the age of 962. At age 65, Enoch had a son named Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old!

The four short verses about Enoch’s life don’t tell us much, but we do learn one crucial fact about him: “Enoch walked faithfully with God.” In his long life of stepping through each day, Enoch walked in a way that pleased God. In fact, God was so pleased with Enoch’s faithful walk that he spared Enoch from the curse of death.

Certainly there is mystery in this story. Yet there is no mystery about how to please God. God calls us to walk faithfully with him, trusting him, honoring him, and serving him. God will probably not take us away as he did with Enoch, but we have the comfort of knowing that Jesus, who conquered sin and death for us, has promised never to leave or forsake us when our own lives end.

Lord Jesus, help us to walk faithfully with you, looking forward to the day when we will join with you and all your faithful followers forever! Amen.