Psalms 9
Psalms 9:1-20 (NLT)
1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.” I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
2 I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when you appeared.
4 For you have judged in my favor; from your throne you have judged with fairness.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever.
6 The enemy is finished, in endless ruins; the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.
7 But the LORD reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne.
8 He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.
9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.
13 LORD, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
16 The LORD is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude
17 The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
18 But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
19 Arise, O LORD! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Judge the nations!
20 Make them tremble in fear, O LORD. Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude
The process of God’s justice will be complete no matter how it may seem to have delays. There is great strength and encouragement to be gained in challenging times by remembering, first of all, previous examples of God’s faithfulness. The stories from the Word and personal encounters of His intervention are critical considerations when we’re tempted to be discouraged in the face of trying times. It’s the feeling of entrapment, that there is no way out and no end to the peril that causes there to be giving it to it. However, when there is conviction that the time of injustice will not be forever, it becomes possible to endure any peril with confidence and uncompromised hope. The truth that He will again do as He has been so faithful to do takes on more and more meaning in rehearsing what He has done.
There is a jaded view of reality the world will impose on those whose eyes are fixed on it. In the shifting of gaze from circumstance to past victories, however, there is a triumph to gain once again in renewed and undying faith. The only way the victory fails is when its process is abandoned. How great it is to use the past to prove His faithfulness rather than validate ongoing failures. Magnifying threats as if they are honored will only ensure defeat to them, while boldly proclaiming God’s undefeated record allows for identification with all He’s won.