“O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles.” Psalm 43:3
If the Psalms are read in a cursory manner, looking at them from a literary standpoint, or even, the testimony of many men, we are apt to pass over the glaring greatness and reality of them. If we should slow down, and ask the Father to give unto us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, then trust the Spirit to lead us, and unveil to us the truths, and riches, of these hymns and songs, then we would begin to see, and discover, something great and wonderful about the Creator, and Redeemer. We would then be looking beyond the paint brush upon the canvas, beyond the subjects of nature and mankind being specifically painted in differing tones and colors, to behold the Divine Painter. This Painter is also the great Potter who forms the clay, making it into a vessel of His design, and choosing, with the intention of saving the soul, and transforming it into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. How does the Painter paint, and this Potter perform His magnificent, eternal work? It is by His words, written on tablets of long ago, or pages of papyrus, or at present on pages of paper. The Master Artist and Sculpturer then breaths upon these objective truths, making them live, even burn in the heart. His immediate purpose is to seize the attention of the unbelieving soul, to bring him to faith. To the believer, the same words, made alive by the Spirit, are used to lead and to guide, so that where there is the response of obedient faith, there is the reward given of communion with God, a spiritual fellowship where the soul comes to increasing know God, not just in truth, but in the power of Christ by the Spirit. It is a knowledge that God has chosen to give to whosoever will truly seek Him according to His ways. The one who truly seeks, will truly find. But what about this One who is behind the Psalms, the Creator of them, given to different authors whose hearts have panted and thirsted after God in different circumstances, times, and conditions? Will God pull back the veil of our unbelief, and limitations, to behold Him exalted upon His throne, then Christ suffering and dying on the cross, humbled to the extreme, to save us, then seeing Christ at the right hand of God the Father, exalted and victorious, the believer accepted before God, and complete in Christ?
The true psalmist not only writes about God, but expresses His experience of God, and his pursuit of blessed communion with Him. He writes concerning how he sought God, revealing his objective, specifically finding Him. He expresses honestly his needs and limitations, which are in part the very reasons for seeking God. The sheep need the Sheperd, and this, in a manner far exceeding even their capacity to feel and know it. The Psalmist is one who calls upon God, believing that He is a present Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Thus, in all humility and candor, honesty and sincerity, he seeks the Eternal God, believing that He will answer even the smallest prayer, as well as the one of extreme urgency. He has learned, and learns increasingly, that God is seeking him beyond the measure of being sought. How do we know this?
In Psalm 43, the Psalmist prays, “O send out Thy light and Thy truth.” (v.3) The appeal to God is from a helpless heart to God alone who can bridge the needs of man to reveal Himself in His saving greatness? Thus, man calls out specifically for light, needing the revelation of God to his heart above all other needs. That revelation which comes from God, will always be the truth, always according to what God has said, and what is revealed in Christ. The God of the Psalmist waits to answer.
Dear Father, Speak to our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.