Finding the Holy Mountain of the Lord

Psalm 43:3 “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me back to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” (NIV)

Psalm 43 is a companion of Psalm 42, and both psalms must be understood together to realize what God is teaching us. In Psalm 42, the Psalmist emphasizes man’s deep need for God as an essential pre-requisite to be with him. If we do not have a deep abiding need for God, then our daily activities, priorities, and pursuits will lay bare that we are hollow at our core. It is not enough simply to desire to be with God, but we must also walk with him in daily obedience to the Lord’s commands.

How is this done, in a troubled world to walk in a rightly guided way toward God, so as never to stray away and become unconnected to the true source of life and wellness? The answer is found in Psalm 43:3, when David pleads to God to send forth his light and truth to guide him to the holy mountain. We know that Jesus claimed to be the “light of the world,” and that anyone who follows him will never walk in darkness but have the light of life (John 8:12). We also know that God’s word is truth (John 17:17), and that Jesus is the living word of God.

What does this teach us about being holy before God? First, it teaches us that we must have an abiding need for the presence of God, and second, it teaches us that we must be guided by Jesus Christ in our daily lives if we are not to lose our way. Here in Psalm 42 and 43 it is very simply described for us as to what the wisdom of the ages truly is: I must have a deep abiding need for God, and I must follow Jesus Christ to get to him. There is simply no shortcut or other way to honor God.

Jesus said clearly and directly in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” You will never get to a right place with God in your life if you first don’t pursue him, and second don’t follow him once you find him. Life is a beautiful and wonderful thing if lived under the terms and conditions God has laid down for us as we follow him. If we do so, then we will be with God for an eternity on his holy mountain. If, however, we follow the world’s voice and walk independently and ignorantly of Jesus Christ, we will find our lives made more difficult with pain without any real hope at the end. David says something very important about living our lives in a godly way, when he states in Psalm 43:3 that when he approached the altar of God he was filled with joy, delight, and praise. My friends, Jesus and he alone is the difference maker, so I urge you to seek God and follow Jesus and you will be able to handle whatever you may face in this life.

MY FATHER, AS I THIRST FOR YOUR PRESENCE, HELP ME TO FOLLOW YOUR SON JESUS CHRIST, THE TRUTH AND THE LIGHT, SO THAT I MAY FIND YOU AND DWELL WITH YOU ETERNALLY ON YOUR HOLY MOUNTAIN. AMEN!