Praising In Spite Of- Whatever Psalm 9:1-20NKJ
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.3 When my enemies turn back, They shall fall and perish at Your presence. 4 For You have maintained my right and my cause;You sat on the throne judging in righteousness. 5
You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 O enemy, destructions are finished forever! And you have destroyed cities; Even their memory has perished. 7 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.m11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. 12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;He does not forget the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy on me, O Lord! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, 14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. 16 The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. 19 Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord, That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah
Psalm 9 & 10, go together, Psalm 9, is an individual hymn while Psalm 10, is an individual lament. Verse 1 through 12, praise is prominent, however in verse 13 through 20 prayer is prominent. Psalm chapter 9, flows between two different waves, praise and prayer.
Psalm 9, is a good pattern for us to go by in life- praise and prayer!
Psalm 9:1-2NLT I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. 2 I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Notice, I will, I will, I will, I will. This shows David’s dedication unto exuberant worship.
Rev. Harry Ironside was in a crowded restaurant one time. Just as he was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don’t." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."
The man said, "Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"
Ironside said, "Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does too!"
Psalm 9:3-4NLT My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when you appeared. 4 For you have judged in my favor; from your throne you have judged with fairness.
As David praised, his enemies were destroyed by God!
Deuteronomy 10:18NLT He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.
God’s covenant is firm with His righteous, and to those that are totally dependent on Him.
Psalm 9:5-6NLT You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever. 6 The enemy is finished, in endless ruins; the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.
“If you will trust God- that’s all’, He will go before you.” P.H.
“Always remember, the godless will be dealt with.” P.H.
Psalm 37:25NLT Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.
Psalm 9:7-8NLT But the Lord reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. 8 He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.
God’s loving grace will be known and felt by His righteous, however, His judgement will fall upon the godless.
Psalm 9:9-14NLT The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. 11 Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. 12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.13 Lord, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death. 14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
“God will bring precise judgement upon everyone. Your praises are a good indication of the depth of love for the Creator.” P.H.
Listen again to Psalm 9:13-14TM, Be kind to me, God; I’ve been kicked around long enough. Once you’ve pulled me back from the gates of death, I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs; on the corner of Main and First I’ll hold a street meeting; I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air with salvation songs.
Illustration: Baseball great Orel Hershiser in Out of the Blue wrote, “After the final game of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A’s, Bob Costas of NBC interviewed me in the locker room. He asked what I was doing between innings when the cameras had caught me in the dugout with my head back, "eyes closed, almost meditating."
"I was singing hymns to myself to relax and keep my adrenalin down, because every time I thought about being ahead, I got too excited to pitch."
The next night I was a guest on "The Tonight Show." Johnny Carson also asked about that. "Do you just hum, or what?"
"I sing." The audience clapped and cheered. I hadn’t meant that! "I’m not gonna sing!" They roared.
"Oh, yes you are!" Carson said. I shook my head, panicking. I’d never sung alone in public in my life. "This could be a first," he pressed. "Just a couple of bars."
"Well, the one I remember singing the most was a praise hymn." (Suddenly it was deathly silent.) " As I sat on the bench I’d sing: Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen." I read that after Orel Hershiser sang that praise song that the audience, Carson included, became deathly silent.
Psalm 9:15-16NLT The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set. 16 The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds. Quiet Interlude
Listen to Psalm 146:7-10NASB Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; 9 The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.10 The Lord will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 9:17NLT The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
This is called the boomerang principle. How you live, and what you sow will come back to you.
Psalm 9:18NLT But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
Psalm Chapter 1& 2, becomes the principle behind the needy and poor.
Psalm 9:19-20NLT Arise, O Lord! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Judge the nations. 20 Make them tremble in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know they are merely human. Interlude
Benediction.
