For the director of music. To the tune of ‘The Death of the Son’. A psalm of David.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.The Lord reigns for ever;
(Ps. 9:1-10 NIV)
he has established his throne for judgment.
He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
The Psalmist turns again to lament but before he unburdens the distress in his heart he promises to praise the covenant LORD as he anticipates the deliverance he is going to receive from the LORD. This heartfelt joy is expressed in the five verbs that he uses – give thanks, tell, glad, rejoice and sing. The intensity of love that the Psalmist has for the LORD arises from the contemplation of the wonderful acts of redemption and judgement that the LORD has done. The LORD has worked salvation in the past and it is a cause of confidence for the future.
The wonders of the LORD’S works cause the enemies to turn back and stumble. We saw this in our studies in the book of Joshua as the enemies heard of what the LORD had done for His people and they trembled before the LORD.
The LORD upholds the rights of His people and the cause of the Kingdom. The LORD is on His Throne and rules in righteousness. It is important in the face of the common distress that we all face today that we do not forget that God is Sovereign and remains ruling from His throne.
Those who have plotted against the LORD have had their cities uprooted. Some of us are old enough to remember the fear that communism was going to subdue the world, yet in a short space of time the iron curtain fell, rulers were removed and the memory of them has perished.
The ground of hope is the belief that the LORD rules. The throne of God is established. This will not be changed or discounted.
The LORD is our refuge
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Rom. 8:38-39 NIV)
As we seek the LORD in prayer He will never forsake us.
“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chr. 7:13-14 NIV)
Prayer
LORD we have great reason to praise you because of your wonderful works of redemption. You have brought us into Your family. LORD forgive us for taking for granted your grace and mercy. We turn to you. There is a plague across the face of the world, we are not able to gather together, we have had the sacraments withheld from us. Lord forgive our sin and heal our land, for Christ the Saviour’s sake in whose name we pray. Amen