Light in the Darkness by David Jeremiah

Light in the Darkness Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. Psalm 71:9, NIV In the nineteenth-century in the United Kingdom, candlepower indicated the brightness of a light, based on the intensity of light produced by a certain size of candle burning at a certain rate. Today, candlepower has been replaced by lumens—the brightness of modern LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:105

Regardless of how many lumens a light source emits, we seem to always wish for more, especially outside at night when we are using a flashlight to find our way. It seems we are hardwired to be suspicious of the dark. But the psalmist reminds us that we don’t need ample light to see our final destination in the dark; we only need enough to see our next step. As long as we can see the next step, we are safe—and God’s Word is that source of light (Psalm 119:105). When the writer of Psalm 71—probably David (see Psalm 70)—found himself in a dark place near the end of his life, he trusted in God to guide him. God and His Word are all the light we need. We only need enough to follow Him to green pastures and quiet waters (Psalm 23:2). We are to order our lives by the light of [God’s] law, not by our guesses about his plan. J. I. Packer