Send Out Your Light and Your Truth - Psalms 43:1-5

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. My Bible Reading Plan for this week included Psalms 34-52 and Acts 22-27:25.  I was drawn to Psalms 43:3 because the psalmist pleads with God to send out His light and His truth as they are the only guides for him to go where God is, the source of all his joy. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember that God sent Jesus, His Light and His Truth, to save us from our sins and lead us to God.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Send Out Your Light and Your Truth." I read from Psalms 43: 1-5. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

1 Declare me innocent, O God!

        Defend me against these ungodly people.

        Rescue me from these unjust liars.

2 For you are God, my only safe haven.

        Why have you tossed me aside?

Why must I wander around in grief,

        oppressed by my enemies?

3 Send out your light and your truth;

        let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain,

        to the place where you live.

4 There I will go to the altar of God,

        to God—the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp,

        O God, my God!

5 Why am I discouraged?

        Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

        I will praise him again—

        my Savior and my God!

My Bible Reading Plan for this week included Psalms 34-52 and Acts 22-27:25. I was drawn to Psalms 43:3 because the psalmist pleads with God to send out His light and His truth as they are the only guides for him to go where God is, the source of all his joy. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember that God sent Jesus, His Light and His Truth, to save us from our sins and lead us to God.

Psalms 42 and 43 form one unit and are typically read together. We are more familiar with the first verse of Psalms 42, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God," thanks to the praise song, "As the Deer." In these psalms, the composer is despondent as he is prevented from going to the Temple in Jerusalem and standing before the presence of God. Yet, despite his exile, he is confident. He declares, "I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!" He asks God for His light and His truth to lead him to this place. He decides to put his trust in the promises of God rather than succumb to his own doubts and fears. The psalmist foreshadows God's plan to send Jesus, His Light and His truth, to redeem us from our sins and give us eternal life through faith in Him. He is our Guide into the presence of God and the only means by which we can stand before God! Our hope is certain as our resurrected Lord lives and is seated at the right hand of God, waiting for God's command to come and take us home. Every week we renew our hope by assembling as brothers and sisters to partake of the bread and drink from the cup. We remember that He suffered and died on a cross to save us. Like the psalmist, we can sing, "I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father. Jesus is certainly our Light and our Truth, and we put our hope and trust in Him. He did not come with promises only; He offered Himself for us. He suffered and died on a cross that we might have the forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life through faith in Him. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Him. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!