Psalms 42 and 43 capture for us David's situation of inner despair and disturbance. The source of his turmoil didn't go away after his visit to the headwaters of the Jordan River (42:6). When he returned to Jerusalem, he found his troubles waiting for him. According to Psalm 43:1-2, David suffered another personal attack. People problems were upon him, and we all know how devastating they can be! After pleading for God to intervene, David prayed:
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.
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. (43:3–4)
Turmoil often results from having too much misinformation and not enough reliable, essential truth. Moreover, in the absence of adequate information, we fill in the gaps with what we dread most. The result is a distorted picture of the problem—a pessimistic perspective, riddled with our worst fears. In response to his turmoil, David asks for God's light and God's truth. He wanted the Lord to provide His Word (truth) and to grant him an understanding of it (light). Perhaps he sought for a specific statement from Scripture that would be fitting and appropriate for his situation, and equally important, he sought for insight into it. He needed clarity in the midst of confusion—truth to answer fiction—so he looked for wisdom in the Scriptures.
Eventually, this would bring joy and praise. When the truth of God's Word neutralized the depressing messages of his circumstances, he says yet again:
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. (43:5)
All believers in Jesus Christ must ultimately come to the place where we are going to trust God's Word completely before we can experience consistent victory. His Book is our single source of tangible truth. We try every other crutch: we lean on self, on others, on feelings, on bank accounts, on good works, on logic and reason, on human perspective. Still, the churning continues, inner turmoil continues to grind.
God has given His written Word and the promise of His light to all His children; when will we learn to believe it, and live in it, and use it, and cling to its promises?
From Living the Psalms by Charles R. Swindoll, copyright © 2012. Reprinted by permission of Worthy Inspired, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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