Finding God
by Grace Bull
Today’s verse says something quite remarkable – it says that if you follow light and truth, you will find God. It comes from Psalm 43. The psalmist says to God, ‘send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell’.
That’s an interesting thought to ponder. God’s light and truth will lead us to Him. It has to be the real thing; not our own version of truth, nor our own source of light and understanding, but the real thing.
The people of the western world often tell us that there’s no such thing as truth, that it’s all relative. If it’s true for you, they say, then that’s good enough. But have you noticed that it doesn’t bring you to God?
The idea that there’s no such thing as truth runs counter to our common sense, yet so many of us buy into it, perhaps because it’s more comfortable to agree with the culture around us. But it only leads us to ‘our own God’, a god of our own making, who isn’t real and isn’t satisfying either. He (or she) certainly can’t give us real peace. A god of our own making is just like the idols of wood or gold that people used to make. It can’t do anything for us because it only exists in our own heads. It isn’t real. It isn’t truth.
Fortunately, there is a real God! He’s the source of truth. In fact He’s the source of all good things! Jesus once said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ and He went on, ‘no-one can come to the Father, except through me’ (John 14:6). On another occasion, He said ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12). Jesus Himself is the way to God, and He mentions truth at the same time, because we need to come to God in truth and honesty. We need to come into the light.
Hiding will not lead us to God. We can’t follow the light while we’re standing in darkness, trying to hide. We need to be real with God. The thing that makes us want to hide is sin. Sin makes us feel ashamed. But the reason Jesus came was so that you and I can be totally forgiven and washed clean on the inside. Nothing’s too hard for Him.
There’s no peace or joy in darkness. If we’re truthful - honest with ourselves and with God - letting Him see the worst and most shameful things, we discover that He doesn’t criticise, condemn or reject. Instead He accepts us with open arms, just like the Father in the Prodigal Son story. He washes us clean, loves us and blesses us beyond our wildest dreams. It really is worth doing!
Truth and light are a gift from God to lead us to Him. When we stop hiding and are finally really honest, coming to God through Jesus, then we will find true peace. And more love than we could ever dream of!
Prayer: Father, I want to bring into the light all the things I have been hiding from you. And please show me if there are things I am hiding from myself. Thank You that there’s nothing too difficult for you to put right. Thank You that You love and accept me as I am, and You want to help me. I bring these things to You now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Grace Bull is a member of the Ellel Ministries team, working in course development and the support of Ellel centres worldwide, having previously been a full-time GP (family doctor) for 15 years. Her passion is relationship with God and doing anything that will help other people to find that close relationship too.
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