Psalm 43  The psalmist is praying for vindication and deliverance.  He feels rejected and depressed.  He wants God to plead his case and judge him innocent of the charges brought against him by the unjust.  To be treated wrongly and unfairly is a struggle that we can relate to easily.  The psalmist declares his trust in God.
"For Thou art the God of my strength .." v2    The only strength that we have is that which the Lord provides.  It is His arm that delivers, not ours.  It is His Right Hand that saves.   We can turn to God and know with full confidence that He is strong enough to help us!
"O send out Thy light and Thy Truth, let them lead me;"   Illumination and stability.  This is the guidance that will lead us to His "holy hill" ( v3).   To His Presence.   Psalm 119:105 says " Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."   Psalm 36:9b says "In Thy light we see light."
In John 8:12 Jesus says "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."  And in John 1:4-5 the apostle writes, " In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it."   The Word of God, the light and truth, reveals to us the Son of God, the true Light, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  He shows us how to walk through darkness and not be overcome by it.... we must follow Him.  It is His Word that provides the light for our way and the stability for us to stand in His Presence.

To come into His Presence, the psalmist tells us, we go first to the altar.  To the place where we present our offerings.  To the place of sacrifices.  The psalmist would have a picture of the temple in his mind.  He would be thinking of burnt offerings and grain offerings and thank offerings.  Burnt offerings that signified a confession of sin and a need for forgiveness by a sacrifice of shed blood.  Grain offerings would represent acknowledgement for the Lord's provision.  He would think of bringing the first fruits from his herds and from his fields.  First we come confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness.  Then we come offering a portion of that which God has bountifully given to us,  an acknowledgment that all we have is His.  That it all is His gift to us in the first place.  Then we offer our thanks. 
Thanks for the salvation He has provided by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on a cruel cross.
Thanks for His provision for all He has provided for life now and eternally.
Thanks for making us His own.  For sending His light and truth, for leading us in His perfect ways.

"To God my exceeding joy;" (v4)  the psalmist offers music of praise.  Why despair?  Hope is in God.
We can find gladness and joy in our God.  He has come in the light to show us the way to Himself.
To His joy and His strength.  To His deliverance from the darkness of evil.  Satan wants us to doubt that God can or will help us.  He is wrong.  God waits for us to follow Him,  to come into the Light of His Word which leads us to the Light and Joy of His Presence.

Father, I come.  I come to the altar to lay it all down before You once again.  To lay down my life.  To lay down my pride and my selfishness.  To lay down my burdens and my "stuff".   I need You alone.
Thank You for saving me.  Thank You for providing for all I need.  Thank You for leading me in "paths of righteousness, for Your Name's sake".   You are my joy, Father!  You are my strength!
I shall praise You and bless Your holy Name!
Amen