Psalm 43:3-4 "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. (4) Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God."
David continues his thoughts of unrest in Psalm 43 the same as he was lamenting
in Psalm 42. He still has unrest in his mind as he writes this Psalm. There are
those who unrighteously are opposing him and causing strife in the land. Is he
still talking about King Saul? I'm not sure, but whoever was the subject of
these Psalms, was causing unrest and upheaval in the land. David's concern for the
people of God was so deep that he took any untruth that was said to be a
personal attack upon himself. We know his stand concerning Saul. He had several
opportunities to take revenge on the king, but he refused to lift his hand
against the Lord's anointed. The Word of God teaches us that "... the
powers that be are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1) David understood
this concept and was willing to trust the Lord even when his mind was filled
with confusion over certain situations.
Things do not change in that every society must have leadership, whether it be
a king, or a self-appointed emperor, or a duly elected president. Whether
we agree with a particular leader or not, the concept of having leadership is
ordained by God. How did David approach the situation? We saw in the
previous Psalm that he "... went with them to the house of God, with the
voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday." (Psalm 42:4)
He kept his heart and mind exercised in the things pertaining to God.
He continued to pray and seek the face of God. "Lord, my mind is
disquieted (raging in unrest and commotion). There are so many noises and
voices speaking to me from inside my head and I cannot seem to separate them
out to know what is right and what is wrong." He was crying out for help
both in the 42nd and 43rd Psalms.
As he cried out to the Lord, he was reminding himself of the greatness of our
Lord. He knew the light of God could drive away the darkest hour in his mind.
He knew the Word of God would direct him in the right paths. He knew God would
take him back to that place in his heart and mind where he would be able to see
above the storm and able to walk through the struggle with God's help. But he
also made the determination that when (not if) God answered his prayers, he
would go back to the house of God and there he would offer sacrifices of praise
and thanksgiving unto the Lord.
Notice something about verse 4. David had lost his joy, not because of
something he did, rather because of the turmoil in the land. Quite honestly, we
all can understand that feeling. As a result of David's joy being lost, the
music was gone from his life also. But he knew God was going to have the final
say and he was willing to trust Him. Then he said, "upon the harp will I
praise thee, O God my God." In other words, "Lord, I know you are
going to put the music back and my soul will have rest once again."
It is so important, today, that you and I maintain our trust and
confidence in the Lord. He will prevail.