A Lamp to Your Feet

Bernard Barton experienced many ups and downs. Born in 1784 to devout Quaker parents in northern England, he apprenticed as a shopkeeper before moving to Woodbridge (in southeastern England) where he entered into business with his brother as a coal and corn merchant. He was married but just a year later, his wife died. Barton then moved to Liverpool but in 1810 returned to Woodbridge.

Even though he spent most of the rest of his life as a bank clerk, Barton became known for his poems, many of which expressed his faith. Several became hymns. One of his most memorable poems was written in 1826. Called “Lamp of Our Feet,” this poem was inspired by the many stops in his journey through life, and his reflection on the way God had sustained and guided him along the way.

Barton realized that God, through His Word, provided a lamp that helped us “trace our path when wont to stray.” It was “our guide and chart” and a “pillar of fire” that speaks to us when the world seems dark. It provides an anchor when waves break against us like an angry sea.

He knew how easy it could be to develop our own subjective interpretations of the Bible. How important it was to seek God and learn His perspective. So Barton prayed, “Lord, grant us all aright to learn the wisdom it imparts and to its heavenly teaching turn with simple, childlike hearts.”

Today, remember that you, too, need to make God’s Word a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Do you have decisions to make? Do you need wisdom? Cry out to Him. Fill your heart and mind with the Bible. Read, study, and pray. Ask God to speak to you through His Word, that it would be your anchor and guide.