Beacons of Light and Truth

“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” –Psalm 43:3-4 (NEV).

Exquisite poetry came from the pens of those who wrote the Psalms and Proverbs. The verses for today’s consideration are a genuine example of Hebrew parallelism, one idea balanced against another as they reveal the genuineness of God’s consideration to usward. These lines were a prayer for deliverance, probably sung in temple or synagogue worship, and earnestly offered to God as a plea for sending light and truth to guide His children.

We in our modern places of worship often follow the patterns learned from the worship of the Hebrews at the actual time of the writing of our ancient scriptures. Songs and hymns invite us to worship. And with their words we are taught truths of our doctrines and our faith.

A beautiful picture is that of a place of worship on a hill with its beams of light inviting congregants to come and worship. Like a lighthouse on the coast that guides troubled ships safely into harbor, so the Light and Truth of God’s word are a guide to right living and a secure harbor in the treacherous sea of life.

Not only can we gain light and truth from public worship, but augmenting the experiences we have at church are our own individual times with God in the quietness of our private places where we can meet Him daily to gain sustenance from his Word and from prayer. All of these bring us exceeding joy. We may not have the musical capability to play the lyre in response, but our hearts can sing songs of praise as we absorb the light and truth God makes available to strengthen us.

Jesus added to and personalized the Psalmist’s declaration when he said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV). He also gave a commission that relates to sending out God’s light and truth, and that is to each of us who is saved by grace through faith: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV).

A Thirst for God

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” –Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV).

Thirst is not a pleasant physical reaction to lack of liquid. Perhaps you have had to fast to take serious medical tests. Or perhaps you have been in a situation where drink was not available, and it seemed to your liquid-starved body that you would give almost anything for a cool, satisfying drink.

Have you ever been so spiritually thirsty that your soul yearns for the living God? The Psalmist gave a beautiful metaphor to describe the spiritually thirsty condition. It was like a deer, having traveled miles without coming upon a watering place, and was panting and yearning for a flowing stream. We can see that in our mind’s eye and know that the deer is searching frantically for the water that will assuage thirst.

May I suggest that each Christian should cultivate that need for spiritual water just like the deer, and also we humans, have that built-in need for physical water to satisfy thirst. Within beautiful Psalm 42, which was a “maskil”—or a song or hymn performed in worship—is a chorus that rings true to the theme of the whole Psalm. We find the chorus in verses 5 and 11 of Psalm 42 and again in verse 5 of Psalm 43:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul,
And why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
My salvation, and my God.

How can the God-thirst be assuaged? The Psalmist gives us the answer to that question. We remember God. Just like we remember good times, recall people who have touched our lives, so we remember God. Recall how His steadfast love is with us in the daytime and His song is with us in the night. Metaphorically, this recalls times when He has given light to our pathways and times when we have walked through shadowy places. The second admonition in getting the soul that thirsts for God back to Him lies in hope. Poet Emily Dickinson had this to say about that intrinsic aspiration of the soul:

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.”

Yes. “Hope in God.” The thirst for God can be fulfilled. He has been waiting for our return—waiting to fill us—and all we have to do is remember and hope…and return to Him.