Send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me

Psalm 43 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation;
^[O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
² For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³ O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your dwelling places.
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.

⁵ Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
^[Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

The psalmist says:  Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!   1 John 2:1-2 says:  If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. Jesus though is even more than our advocate regarding sin. On the cross, in John 19:30 He said: “It is finished!” Jesus accomplished everything that He came to do for us in the finished work of the cross. Isaiah 53:4-6 says:  Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.  But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.   Hebrews 4:14-16 says:  Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Jesus is our advocate in every situation. We can come boldly to the throne of grace and find help in the time of every need. It is important though that we come only to the throne of grace, seeking grace. We should not come seeking judgment against others. At the judgment seat we will receive judgment. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:1-2:  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”  May we seek vindication and deliverance from our enemies, but may we seek grace, mercy and forgiveness for them.  

The psalmist says:  O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places.  Light and truth have been given to the world. His name is Jesus. In John 8:12 Jesus says:  “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”   In John 14:6 He says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”   In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says:  "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”  1 Corinthians 15:50 says:  Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  In John 4:24 Jesus says:  “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  To worship God; to come into His presence, we must come by yielding to the Spirit.  The psalmist says:   Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.  Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.   Amen. 

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, You are my vindication and my deliverance. You are my help for every need. You are light and truth.  By Your grace I come boldly to You. I praise You! I worship You in Spirit and in truth, O God, my God.   Amen.