Help For The Journey

“Oh send out your Light and your Truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain……There I will go to the altar of God, to God –the source of all my joy. Yes, I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” Psalm 43:3-4

We are all on a journey, and since we have not yet experienced the entire journey and arrived at our destination, there is a lot that we do not know. But we can get help from Someone who knows it all, who is omniscient. Two of the basics needed for the journey are Light and Truth. God alone can claim to be both Light and Truth. Light is necessary so that we can see where we are going and Truth is necessary so that we can be wise and not travel under any illusions. Truth and light are critical to our choosing the right direction and reaching the right destination.

So how can we take hold of this Light and Truth? God has prepared two channels – His Word and Prayer. God Himself has been described as “the Word” (John1:1) and the Word has been described as Light (Psalm 119:105). Therefore we have to know the Word and use it as we journey on. Jesus was also described as the “True Light” (John1:9). So as we focus on Christ, following His example, we will be allowing God’s Truth and Light to guide us. We must also use the channel of Prayer so that we can commune with God when life’s journey is smooth and also when it is rocky. If we do this, we can never lose our way.

The psalmist not only recognized that God was the source of all his help and joy, he also realized that he had to get close to God – he had to go to the altar of God. There he pours out his appreciation and praise to God, his God!

What can you learn from the psalmist?

- Al Jones