God’s Compass

Welcome. It's time for a word of encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread. The devotional for today is titled, God's Compass, and it was written by Marvin Williams. During World War II, Waldo Marsiminoff was serving as a junior engineer aboard the SS Alcoa Guide when, nearly 300 miles off the coast of North Carolina, a German submarine surfaced and opened fire on the ship. The ship was hit, caught fire, and began to sink. Simonoff and his crew lowered a lifeboat into the water and used the vessel's compass to sail toward the shipping lanes.

After three days, a patrol plane spotted their lifeboat and the USS Broom rescued the men the next day. Thanks to that compass, Simonoff and 26 other crew members were saved. The psalmist reminded God's people that they were equipped with a compass for life, the Bible. He compared scripture to a lamp that provides light to illuminate the path of life for those pursuing God. When the psalmist was adrift in the chaotic waters of life, he knew God could use scripture to provide spiritual longitude and latitude and help him survive.

Thus, he prayed that God would send out his light to direct him in life and bring him safely to the port of his holy presence. As believers in Jesus, when we lose our way, God can guide us by the Holy Spirit and by the direction found in the scriptures. May God transform our hearts and minds as we read the Bible, study it, and follow its wisdom.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading comes our way from the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119 verses 105 through 112. Your word is a lamp from my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it that I will follow Your righteous laws.

I have suffered much. Preserve my life, Lord, according to Your word. Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me Your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget Your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from Your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever.

They are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end. Now let's pray. Jesus, thank You so much for the gift of the scriptures and the wisdom and the guidance You provide in them. And as we read and live in Your word, would You help us to tune into Your Spirit, trusting You to show us how the words within the Bible are relevant and applicable to our lives today. Thank you, Jesus. It's in Your name that we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.