the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Your word is a lamp for my foot and light on my path (Psalm 119:105).
Chazak, chazak, venitchazeyk! (Be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened!) This is recited by the congregation after each book of the Torah is completed in shul (synagogue).
Being strong in the Messiah involves receiving his strength, his encouragement, his blessing. The word "blessing" comes from the root word barakh, which refers to a situation where the blesser imparts something to the one to be blessed. As Messianic Jews, we must always ask ourselves, "Are we blessing others out of the great supply of all we have received from Messiah?"
One way in which we are called to be a blessing is to be a source of light in the world—a beacon of encouragement and strength to those around us. The source for this light is revealed in the passage above. The source of our light is the Word of God.
In this psalm the word for lamp is neyr, meaning "a lesser light such as a candle glistening." The word for light, or, means "light of day." The word for path, nativ, conveys the idea of moving along a course.
This generation is desperate for spiritual direction, a source of light, of strength, of encouragement. Let us consider how we can bless them with the message of God's Word.
...be strong through the Messiah's light and gain his berakhah (blessing), so that I can be a blessing to others.
JR
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
