Psalm 43 - Light and Truth

Light And Truth — Psalm 43

"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God."

Psalm 43:3-4

What a word of triumph! Now the psalmist understands what God is doing; He is driving him step by step to the ultimate refuge of any believer in any time of testing: the Word of God, which is the truth of God coupled with the light. The truth is God's Word; the light is your understanding of it. The psalmist cries out for an understanding of the Word as he reads it and for light, which breaks out of these marvelous promises to encourage and strengthen his heart. He says, "If you will do that, God, then my heart will be filled with joy and gladness, and I will praise you with the harp; for you, O God, are my God, my personal God." What a revelation that is!

There comes a time in all of our lives when we discover for ourselves that the ultimate refuge of any believer is in the Word of God, in what God has said. I remember such a time in my early ministry. I had just begun my work at PBC when a young man who was having severe marital problems came to me for counsel, and I tried to help him as best I could and eventually led him to Christ. For a few weeks there was a real change in this young man's life. He gained firm hold on God. But, as often happens, there came a time of testing of his faith, and he was plunged into despair. One Sunday morning he called me up just before church and asked me over the phone for help and prayer. I told him that as soon as the church service was over, I would come to see him. When the service ended, I did go over to see him. He didn't answer when I knocked, so, finding the door open, I went in and looked for him. I finally found him in his bedroom, dead by his own hand.

The rest of that day I was shaken and did not know what to do. I was upset and did not know whether I wanted to continue in the ministry; it seemed so senseless and useless. I tried every way to find help. I prayed, but it did not seem to relieve me. I talked with others, tried to keep busy, but nothing worked. Finally, that night, fearing that I would lie sleepless, my wife and I together took our Bibles and began to read. To this day, I do not know what we read, but I remember that every word came like balm, like healing salve, to my heart. In that time of deep, dark despair and frustration, the reading of the Word healed my heart.

Father, how grateful I am for this remarkable psalm and its help to my heart in times of depression. Help me, Lord to lay hold of it and use it in my life, knowing this was written for my instruction.

Life Application: Where can we seek refuge when circumstances make us confused and hurt? What gift brings light to our confusion, truth and joy to our woundedness?

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Psalm 1 - The Secret of Beauty and Strength

The Secret Of Beauty And Strength —
Read the Scripture: Psalm 1

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season...
Psalm 1:3

Many years ago when I attended a youth conference in the Sierra Nevada, a young man came to me and took me aside. We stood together underneath a great Douglas fir, and he said, "Pastor, I don't know what is the matter with me. I want to be a good Christian, and I try hard, but somehow I just never seem to make it. I'm always doing the wrong thing. I just can't live like a Christian."

I said to him, "Well, there may be several reasons for that, but, first of all, let me ask you this: What about your private life with the Lord? How well do you know Him? How much do you delight in reading His Word and then spending time talking to Him? Because, after all, it's not the time you spend in reading the Word that's important, but it's the time you spend in enjoying the presence of God that strengthens you."

He hung his head and said, "Well, I admit I don't do very much of that."

Just then this very phrase from the Psalms flashed into my mind: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water." I stepped back and said to him, "Look at this tree we're under. What does it remind you of? What are the qualities this tree suggests to you?"

He looked at the tremendous Douglas fir, towering up into the heavens above, and said, "Well, the first thing is, it's strong."

I said, "Yes, anything else?"

"Well," he said, "it's beautiful."

I said, "Exactly! Beauty and strength. Those are the two things you admire about this tree. And those are exactly the two things you want in your own life, aren't they? Beauty and strength?"

He said, "Right."

"Well," I said, "tell me this: What makes this tree beautiful and strong? Where does it get its beauty and its strength?"

He stopped for a moment and looked at the tree. Then he said, "Well, from the roots, I guess."

I asked him, "Can you see the roots?"

"No," he said, "you can't." Then he said, "I get it! That is the hidden part of life, but it is the secret of this tree's beauty and strength, isn't it?"

That is exactly what this psalmist is saying. Those who are godly have learned, in the hidden inner parts of their life, to draw upon the grace and glory and strength of God. Their roots run deep into rich and moist soil, and this is what makes them beautiful and strong. And they are fruitful: "He ... yields its fruit in season." That is probably a reference to the fruit of the Spirit, which is described for us in the New Testament. It is the character of God, and that is always the same in either the Old or the New Testament: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and the rest of the qualities listed in Galatians 5:22.

Father, I cannot read these words without asking myself the question: Am I allowing this marvelous provision for producing godlikeness to bear fruit in me? Or does a great deal of my life still consist of ungodliness so that I am like the chaff that the wind drives away?

Life Application: Beautiful, strong and fruitful describes a life rooted and grounded in God's life and love. Are we planted and nurtured in the soil of Christ's character?

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Worship in the Wilderness - The Lord is My Shepherd

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23:5-6

In verses 5 and 6 David changes the metaphor a bit--from the good shepherd to the gracious host. Jehovah spreads a sumptuous meal before him, a great banquet, in the presence of his enemies. This figure encompasses all the figures David has used before. That God feeds and provides, leads and protects, is all bound up in this symbol of a gracious host.

Interestingly enough, this figure grows right out of the historical situation in which David wrote. When David was driven into the wilderness by his son's rebellion, he found himself out in the desert, hungry and weary, his army in disarray. As recorded in 2 Samuel 17, three men who were not even Israelites, Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai "brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, 'The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert'"(2 Samuel 17:28-29).

David saw in this that God, as a gracious host, was preparing a table before him in the presence of his enemies. Paul said it this way: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

A final note is that the word follow in verse 6 literally means "pursue." David says that God's goodness and mercy shall pursue him, in contrast to his enemies' pursuit to dethrone and destroy him. David's desire was to go back to the tabernacle and to worship there. God's mercy and kindness ought to evoke the same response from us. We worship not in a tabernacle, but, as Jesus said, "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). We worship in the inner man, where God dwells. When we see that the Good Shepherd does feed us and does lead us and does protect us, our response ought to be worship--a recognition of all that Jehovah is, a word of thanks for what He has done, and the statement, "Here is more of myself for You to put to Your intended purpose." That is true worship.

Father, You are the Good Shepherd. You are utterly trustworthy. You feed me, lead me, guard me, and protect me. I surrender myself to You in grateful worship.

Life Application: God offers to treat us as guests at His table! He lavishes His love on us sinners. Are we resisting that astounding love, and failing to worship Him with our lives?

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Through the Valley - The Lord is My Shepherd

Through The Valley

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

This again is a very picturesque scene. The shepherd is leading the sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge, the long shadows lie across the trail. In the Hebrew this is a "valley of deep shadows." The sheep, because they are so timid and defenseless, are frightened by their experience. But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are comforted. They will fear no evil because the shepherd is with them. We are reminded of the Lord's words quoted in the book of Hebrews: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6). I do not know what your experience has been, but whenever I'm in a situation like this, when there is a great deal of pressure, I begin to wonder if the Lord hasn't abandoned me. But He says He never leaves us, never forsakes us. He is always there. Therefore, we have no reason to fear. That is a great comfort.

And then David writes, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The rod was a club that was used to drive off wild animals. It was never used on the sheep but was a heavy instrument used to protect the sheep from marauding predators. The staff was a slender pole with a little crook on the end that was used to aid the sheep. The crook could be hooked around the leg of a sheep to pull it from harm. Or it could be used as an instrument to direct, and occasionally to discipline, the sheep with taps on the side of the body.

Understanding how shepherds tend their sheep has helped me so much in understanding the character of God. When I go wandering away He doesn't say, "There goes that stupid sheep," and--WHAP!--down comes that big club! No, His attitude is, "How can I help My sheep? How can I move in to bring him back into line? How can I comfort him and supply what he needs?" God may have to discipline, but He always does it in love. He reproves, corrects, encourages, and instructs in righteousness, dealing with us firmly and gently.

The rod and staff are also used against the two greatest enemies we have to face. The rod is for the enemy without, Satan, who is working through the world system to destroy us. Jesus said, "He is a liar and a murderer." He's out to devour us, and so the Lord uses the club on him. But I am the other enemy, the enemy within. In the immortal words, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." I know that. The shepherd's staff is used to chasten and subdue the enemy within. But the confidence He gives is that I have nothing to fear, neither from the enemy without or from the enemy within.

Lord, thank You for leading me through the dark valley, keeping me from harm as I go. Thank You even for Your reproof and correction, which is another expression of Your great love.

Life Application: The Good Shepherd surrounds His sheep with His constant presence. What are two evidences of His protecting love and His firm and gentle care for the sheep?

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Guidance - The Lord is My Shepherd

Guidance

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Psalm 23:3b

The Hebrew word translated "paths" means "a well-defined, well-worn trail." That indicates again how stupid sheep are, because even when the trail is well laid out, they still need a shepherd. They are still inclined to wander away, no matter how obvious the path may be. The shepherd knows the trails. He has been there before, and the sheep trust him.

I think the most anxiety-producing factor in the world today is uncertainty about the future. What is going to happen tomorrow, and the next day? There are decisions we must make that bear not only upon our own lives but also upon the lives of everyone with whom we are associated. My life touches my family and my neighbors and my business associates. We are constantly making decisions. How do we know that we are making the right ones? Decisions can be crucial and frustrating!

A classic story tells about a man undergoing basic training in the army. He was pulling KP and was given the assignment of sorting potatoes. There was a huge mound of them, and the mess sergeant told him to put all the bad ones in one bin and all the good ones in the other bin. He came back about two hours later to find the man just looking at one potato. There was nothing in the bins. The sergeant said, "What's the matter, don't you like the work?" The soldier said, "It's not the work; it's the decisions that are killing me."

I often feel that way. We have to make countless decisions, day after day, which touch the lives of our children and our wives and husbands. We need wisdom. We need a shepherd. We need someone who knows the trails, someone whom we can trust. We all need a decisive word from someone who knows the way, and the Lord knows the way. But the question arises--"How can I discover His will for my life?" May I suggest these steps?

First, submit wholeheartedly to the leadership of the shepherd. That is the basic attitude we must maintain. Unless we are willing to admit that we don't know the way through the wilderness and submit to His leadership, we will never find the way.

The second thing we must do is to obey what we know now to be God's will for us. Most of God's will is already revealed in His Word. We have to begin by obeying the truth that we have.

But what about other areas of life where the Scriptures do not give specific information? There we are led by the peace of God. As we spend time praying and waiting upon God, there comes a sense of peace, an inner conviction, about the correctness of a certain direction. The peace of God will umpire in our life and let us know what to do. When we move out on the basis of it, we discover that God supports and undergirds our actions and, through confirming circumstances, further strengthens our sense of peace.

Father, You have promised to lead me in paths of righteousness. Help me to be willing to follow, even when I don't understand.

Life Application: The Good Shepherd does not drive His sheep. He tenderly guides them. What are two essentials by which we can discern His guidance?

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