psalm 9

Psalm 9
God’s Power and Justice
To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
[1]

Lord,
I want to affirm with the poet that:“The needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.” I remember well my own days of financial frugality. Was I poor? I don’t know. But I know that we lived with financial limitations that would embarrass most members of our church and would require a very difficult adjustment should I be required to live that way again. Five of us lived in a house, 36 by 8, providing a grand living space of 288 square feet. Thank God for the great Florida out-of-doors. Out of my own memory, I pray that the needy will not be forgotten. As the economy seems to deteriorate and as the gap between the richest and the poorest widens, I pray that the poor will not perish forever. Touch the hearts of those who are financially able to help those who are not.

The poet speaks of the nations who have forgotten God and the destination of the wicked. He speaks of the neglect of the poor and needy and the nations who are wicked in nearly the same breath. I pray that my nation will not forget the poor and needy and be sent to Sheol. Let us not self-destruct on our own greed and selfishness and arrogance.

A personal matter: Lord, members, friends, and perhaps others, are reading my retirement letter today. It’s an awkward season. It will be emotionally and spiritually mixed-up for all of us. Grant the grace of you Holy Spirit. Most of us are not financially needy, though some are indeed pressed tight. But in this season we are indeed needy. Do not be absent to us in our season of need.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:
Pray for the poor and needy.
Pray that God will meet your own needs.
Ask God’s grace for your church.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “thank you” to God.

Amen
[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989