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A PRAYER FOR GOD’S LEADING

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A PRAYER FOR GOD’S LEADING

9 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me. (Ps. 43:3a)

Psalm 42 and 43 are related to each other. Many believe that these well known Psalms were originally one Psalm. The dividing in chapters is the work of man and does not belong to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It has been done by Cardinal Hugo in 1250. If you can read Dutch and English then you will see that there is sometimes a little difference, that a last verse is taken to another chapter, as in Isaiah 8 and 9. But this is not so important, because all the words are in the Bible, even when they are in another chapter.

Most people think that the above mentioned Psalms are both of David, and that they were written when he fled for his own son, Absalom.

We read in the beginning of this chapter: “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against the ungodly nation,” (or an unmerciful nation). Here he supplicated the Lord to take care of him. There be many that say: who will show us any good? David could not bring deliverance himself either and therefore he fled to the Judge of heaven and earth.

There is no better place to go, than to the Lord; so often we are our own defender or try to take revenge, but the Lord has said in Rom. 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ saith the Lord.” The church has many enemies, so that they often tremble. It is a blessing when we may ask:

“Be Thou my Helper in the strife;

O Lord, my strong Defender be!”

David may come to this place: “O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.” This has been Absalom or Ahithophel, who conspired against the king in a deceitful way. The Lord is the Almighty, He only can give the necessary deliverance. David fled in great fear to the Lord, Who promised Jacob and all his children, to answer in the day of trouble and deliver at His time. Prayer to the Lord is the life of such a soul. Do you also know the urgent power of prayer in your life? Peter said: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” When the need is felt under the administration of Word and Spirit, then we will cry unto the Lord, because of the urgent need in our soul. Although we feel ourselves unworthy, the Lord has given permission to come unto Him: “Let me hear thy voice and show me thy countenance.” When discovering light falls into our heart, then we will also understand Abraham, when he drew nigh unto the Lord: “Behold now, I have taken upon myself to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.” Isaiah saw himself as a man of unclean lips. Even when we cannot pray as we ought, still we may come. But does the Lord not know our needs? Of course, He is an All-knowing God, but it pleases Him to see and to hear His own work. But often it seems, that the Lord does not hear the supplications of His children, and then they complain:

“The Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me.”

Is that true? No, not at all! Sometimes the Lord hides Himself, because of the sins, but He never forsakes His people and He remains a refuge at all times. When God’s child does not know what he should pray, then the Spirit itself makes intercession for him, with groanings, which can not be uttered. That is a prayer that the Lord works Himself, that will surely be heard. David was in great trouble, he had no expectations from any men, but only from the Lord: “For Thou art the God of my strength.” The help of that same God we all need for time and eternity. David felt in these dangerous moments how dependent he was upon the Lord, which urged him to pray.

What was the contents of his prayer? “O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me.” Although this prayer is to the instruction and comfort of the church, it is against our flesh. We don’t like to be so helpless as David. It was so dark for David and he could not make it light himself. It is a language, which is not understood in our days anymore. Many people have no darkness in their life, but this is not according to Scripture and the experience of the saints, see David: “O send out Thy light.” If we are blind then it makes no difference, but it is grace when the darkness is discovered by the Holy Spirit. He who sees his guilt and debt, has a true sorrow after God, which works a true conversion. With this light the desire is also born to keep the Law of God and to please Him. It is possible that they expect to grow as the cedars of Lebanon and go from strength to strength. But they forget that the days of darkness are many and that many sins still are alive. Then there is the fear that it is their own work; the enemy begins to mock: “Where is thy God?” So the Lord deals with his people to make room for greater benefits, and He promised: “They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light will shine.” First the Lord makes empty vessels to fill them at His time. In darkness He makes the desire for light: “O send out Thy light.” This is the light of God’s countenance, a sign of His favor and help. Then the darkness will disappear and the mourner is comforted. The enemies experienced that the Lord was with David. Once he could testify: “With the Lord I leap over a wall and with the Lord I go through a troop.” In these moments we can overcome everything, but it is so different now. Still he was at the only address where there is help.

He asked not only for light, but also for truth. The Lord is faithful in his promises and David was the man after God’s own heart, who was annointed to be king over Israel. Light and truth go together. For our nature the truth is hard, since man believed the he. The truth discovers our sinful nature and disobedience to the Word, that we don’t love the Lord and forget Him days without number. When the truth makes us see our misery, then there is a special meaning, this prayer of David. We know that Israel’s High Priest had a breastplate with the names of the twelve tribes on it.

According to Ex. 28:30 there were in the breastplate the Urim and Thummim, which mean, light and truth (or perfection). The High Priest is a type of Christ, in whom only there is light and truth. The Lord Jesus called Himself with these names: “I am the light of this world;” and: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” To be this as Mediator for his church He hanged in darkness and was called a deceiver; but He fulfilled the Law and bore the curse of the Law. He has destroyed the works of Satan, who is the prince of darkness. So Christ has merited everything for the salvation of the church, but He also applies it in the heart of the elect. This happens in two ways: by the light of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word: “O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me.’

The poet knew the necessity to be led by the Lord. He could not keep his path straight. Is that also the problem in your life? Nobody can solve this problem, but the Lord only, when He takes us by heart and hand.

When we see David in these difficult circumstances, fleeing for his child, what is now the purpose of his prayer? Was it in the first place David’s desire to return to Jerusalem to ascend his throne again? No, that is not the most important for him, but that he may go up to the tabernacle. Mount Sion was set apart from all the other mountains; Bashan and Lebanon were nicer, but the Lord has chosen Sion, an unfruitful mountain, which is an example of the church, which is unfruitful in itself, but chosen by the Lord. There the innocent lambs had to die instead of the deathworthy sinner, who went free. That alter points to Golgotha, where God’s justice is satisfied; this is understood, when light and truth shine over Golotha in our lives. To come to Golgotha is only possible by faith, which is the instrument to receive these benefits. When it pleases the Lord to bring us to an end with everything of ourselves, then the Lord opens the Truth that we may see the Way in Christ. How much we can rejoice in the work of the Lord, nothing has changed in our relationship with the Lord, because the debt is still open. The more light we receive, the better we will comprehend this, and the cry will be born: “be thou my Surety.”

When the Lord calls us before his judgment seat, then Satan stands at our right hand to accuse us, while we cannot answer one word, as we see ourselves to be the chiefest among the sinners; hell is the place which we deserve and we must declare the Lord to be righteous. When we may love God’s justice more than our salvation, God the Father will acquit us on the ground of Christ’s satisfaction and pleading. The peace we experience in our heart is indescribable. Death loses its sting and the grave its victory, as the soul may rest in the sacrifice of Christ. In this light and truth they find the true rest for their soul; they end with the blessing in the Lord: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.”

May the Lord give this light and truth to lead us and our children.

Norwich

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