THE TRUE KING
Opening Prayer
Pray the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully today.
Read Psalm 9
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortal.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Why do we pray, “Your kingdom come”?This psalm seems to go up and down, as David seems to go up and down. God had saved David from trouble (1–12). We don’t know the details, but David tells the story in verses 1 to 6 with great joy. And he sees that all this is just a small-scale picture of how God rules his world (7,8). This is the king who will rule justly and put all things right. And so everyone, no matter how small they seem in their own eyes, should trust him (9–12).
But now David faces more trouble (15–18). So what does he do? He remembers what he has just learned of who God is. So although he faces fresh troubles, God hasn’t changed. The God who opposes the ungodly (5,6) still judges them today (15–17). His protection of the vulnerable in the past (10,12) is still true in the present (18). And so, through all David’s ups and downs, he finds stability and his heart bursts with thanks (1,2).
Unlike David, we’re a very short-sighted people. We don’t notice how God has been at work in our lives. We lose sight of all he has done for us in Christ. No wonder our praises are thin and our focus self-centered.
Apply
God doesn’t change. David’s God is our God. In what ways do you need the God of Psalm 9 to intervene in your life today?
Closing prayer
Praise and thank God for who he is (7,8) and for his care for his people (9–12). Pray that his kingdom will come (19,20).
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