Psalm 43:1-5 Light My Path
David is struggling again. He feels as though he is separated from God and at the mercy of ungodly men. “Light my path Lord so I can get back on solid ground.”
It sounds to me like David is in one of those seasons where it feels like your prayers are hitting the ceiling and going no higher. Something is blocking his relationship with God. He believes things are NOT going as they should be if he were in good standing with God.
David again uses the phrase “Why are you cast down, O my soul” (verse 5a). This statement to me speaks of depression. Is this why he isn’t feeling God’s presence? Is he actually staying away from the Tent of the Lord? Is something keeping him from going to that special place?
When I think about the light that David is asking for I realize there is more to it than God lighting his path. David isn’t asking for God to illuminate the way he is already walking but to send out a ‘search light’ that guides David directly to God instead. He doesn’t want ‘a flashlight’ that he can shine and see all the rocks he might trip over. He wants a beacon that is so strong he can’t help but find it and that will also light up the ground where he has to walk to reach its source.
That request reminds me of the song about the light house and the ship who were on a collision course. The captain of the ship was so confident in his own rightness that he ordered everyone else out of the way. Never once did he consider that he was the one on an unsafe path.
David sees that his path is filled with peril. He needs his Lighthouse. God is the Lighthouse for ALL of us. There are SO MANY ‘rocks’ we can get hung up on in this world. I know I need His help identifying the safe path through the turbulent waters. He also knows the safe places to wait out the storms. I would be totally lost without Him!
Father God, lead me on Your paths. I don’t want to walk on ones made by me alone. I don’t know what lies ahead. You DO. I trust Your paths. Lead me back to them whenever I wander off. Light Your paths so clearly that I can’t miss them. Draw me in like a child to a carnival. I NEVER want to ‘lose interest’ in what You have for me. Help me hold fast at ALL times to the things You have planned for me.
