Psalm 119:105-112

Psalm 119:105-112
New International Version (NIV)

  Have you wandered a path in a dark forest?  I ran an evening 10k once, and discovered, much to my surprise, that the batteries in my headlamp were like a fine wine, well aged, only they didn't get better with time.  By the time I was about half a mile from the finish, I was running in the dark in the woods, desperately trying to avoid tripping over any tree roots.  A light for my feet would have been welcome.
  However, even if the lamp had been brightly shining, the tree roots would have still been there, and I may well have tripped over a few.  The presence of light doesn't mean that the wicked don't set snares for us.  The light doesn't keep us from tripping and it doesn't make the opportunities to stumble go away.  What the light does is help us see, and we can then attempt our best to avoid them, knowing we won't miss them all.  We can set our hearts on avoiding the traps, but we will fail.
  When you fall, and you find yourself bleeding and bruised on the road, remember that Christ bled so that our wounds will not condemn us, and Christ suffered the slings and arrows of sin so that we might have hope, even in the darkest moments.