Devotions

Psalms 9:9-10

9 Yahveh is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name have confidence in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Yahveh.

I declare this to be true today— even if I don’t feel it. That’s right. I don’t particularly feel safe in the arms of Jesus today. I feel vulnerable and abandoned. I feel like God has let me down. I feel the shame of the homeless and unemployed. I feel the embarrassment of financial failure! Can I get a witness? Anybody else out there at the end of your rope?

I know theologically that the Lord does not abandon his children. I know I can have confidence, even though I don’t feel it right now. Today I choose to pray for all of us who are in this dark place.

Lord please get us all through these times of despair and prove your faithfulness to us.

Psalms 9:7-8

7 But Yahveh sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 And he judges the world with integrity; he passes judgment on the nations with fairness.

Enemies may come into our lives and falsely accuse us. Bad things may happen to us for a time. But the time for such unfortunate and unfair events is temporary. Our God sits on an eternal throne. When he passes judgment, it will be both fair and permanent.

Seeing things through the long lens can help us get through the unfortunate and unfair times— which are a reality— for now.

Psalms 9:6 The enemy has come to permanent ruin. You have uprooted the cities, and even the memory of them has perished.

It was comforting for the psalmist to keep in mind past enemies who had been troubling to his nation but who now exist no more. It gave him perspective on the trouble he now faced from present enemies. Hitler, Stalin, Caesar, etc. — all gone from the scene. While these examples are still remembered, countless others do not even come to mind. God is the living God. His enemies are all temporary.

Psalms 9:5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name for ages and ages.

The psalmist recounts the many times in history that God has rebuked nations who dared to get in the way of his plan. He remembers old names now erased from the playing field. These thoughts encourage him to ask God to intervene and help him again.

Psalms 9:4 Because you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a judge with integrity.

The psalmist didn’t claim to have the power to protect himself. He claimed a God who sat in judgment of his situation, who vindicated him in that judgment. So he can now praise God for delivering him.

If you need rescue, pray for it until the Lord has given you the assurance that he has decided in your favor.

Psalms 9:3 When my enemies retreat, they trip and are destroyed in your presence.

Having begun praising God for his creations, is the psalmist now changing topics and talking about the weakness of his enemies? No, he is facing formidable enemies and at times needs to retreat to God’s protective presence. He trusts that when God chooses to go on the attack, his enemies will have no one to protect them.

Thus, this is a continuation of worship. The psalmist praises God for his power to defeat his enemies.

Psalms 9:1-2 1 I will thank Yahveh with all my heart; I will make known all your amazing creations. 2 I will rejoice and brag about you; I will sing about your name, Most High.

Hiking the trail, one is constantly bombarded with the amazing creations of God. I remember pointing out a beautiful field to another hiker one day. It was a breathtaking display of dazzling green. I told her, “That is what God can do with only one crayon from the box.”

Psalms 8:6-9

6 You made him ruler over the creations of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 7 all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, 8 the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas. 9 Yahveh, our Lord, how honorable is your name throughout the land.

The image of God given to our ancestors in Eden primarily has to do with this conferred authority and responsibility to pass on God’s honor by managing his creations. Not only are we our brother’s keepers, but we are also keepers of the rest of creation.

Psalms 8:5 You made him little less than a god and crowned him with glory and honor.

That same honor that is manifested in the creation is humanity’s crown. We show that honor when we protect and preserve creation, keeping it from death and decay when we can. God did not give us the planet to exploit but to protect.