Day 9.

Read Psalm 9 today.

Triumphant Thanks

For the Pure and Shining One
To the tune of “The Secrets of the Son” 
A Psalm of David

Delighting in God
1  I will worship you, Yahweh, with extended hands
as my whole heart erupts with praise! 
I will tell everyone everywhere about your wonderful works!
2  I will be glad and shout in triumph.
I will sing praise to your exalted name, O Most High.
 
Deliverance
3  For when you appear, I worship
you while my enemies run in retreat.
They stumble and perish before your presence.
4  For you have stood up for my cause
and vindicated me when I needed you the most.
From your righteous throne you have given me justice.
 
Divine Judgment
5  With a blast of your rebuke, nations are destroyed.
You obliterated their names forever and ever.
6  The Lord thundered and our enemies have been cut off,
vanished in everlasting ruins.
All their cities have been destroyed--
even the memory of them has been erased.
7  But Yahweh, our mighty God, reigns forever!
He sits enthroned as King ready to render his verdicts
and judge all with righteousness.
8  He will issue his decrees of judgment,
deciding what is right for the entire world,
dispensing justice to all.
9  All who are oppressed may come to Yahweh as a high
shelter in the time of trouble, a perfect hiding place.
10For everyone who knows your wonderful name
keeps putting their trust in you.
They can count on you for help no matter what.
O Lord, you will never, no never, neglect those
who come to you.
11Listen, everyone! Sing out your praises to the God
who rules in Zion!
Tell the world about all the miracles he has done!
12He tracks down killers and avenges bloodshed,
but he will never forget the ones forgotten by others,
hearing every one of their cries for justice.
 
Daughter of Zion
13So now, O Lord, don’t forget me.
Have mercy on me.
Take note of how I’ve been humiliated
at the hands of those who hate me.
You are the one who can snatch me away from the gates of death.
14Then I will sing your praises as I pass through the gates
of the Daughter of Zion, rejoicing in your deliverance!
15For the nations get trapped
in the very snares they set for others.
The hidden trap they set for the weak
has snapped shut upon themselves!
16Yahweh is famous for his justice.
While the wicked are digging a pit for others,
they are actually setting the terms for their own judgment.
They will fall into their own pit.

Consider the truth of
and pause in his presence

Destruction of the Wicked
17Don’t forget this: all the wicked will one day
fall into the darkness of death’s domain, 
including the nations that forget God and reject his ways.
18He will not forget the needs of the poor.
One day the needy will be remembered,
and their hopes will not be forever dashed in disappointment.
19Yahweh, it’s time to arise and judge
the nations who defy you.
Don’t let rebellious men triumph.
20Make them tremble in fear before your presence.
Place a lawgiver over them.
Make them know that they are only puny, frail humans
who must give account to you!

Pause in his presence

What is the psalmist praising God for?
What are the various ways God is just?

We can call upon God for justice and strength for the oppressed.

As you reflect on this, pray in these ways and any other way the Holy Spirit leads.

For the church to live out God’s righteousness and justice on behalf of the poor, oppressed, and powerless.
That we would remember those who suffer unjustly, and would see ways we can speak up for them and make changes for them and others.
That we would be able to encourage and walk alongside those who suffer unjustly.
That we would have confidence that one day all things will be made new and God’s justice will permeate the earth.

#NS90DOP