Keep It In Perspective

OPENING PRAYER:

Great provider of peace and rest, I am tired of being down. Lift me up today Lord, I pray.

READ: Psalm 9

Psalm 9[a][b]

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.[c] 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.

Footnotes

[a] Psalm 9:1 Psalms 9 and 10 may originally have been a single acrostic poem in which alternating lines began with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In the Septuagint they constitute one psalm.

{b]Psalm 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1-20 is numbered 9:2-21.

[c] Psalm 9:16 The Hebrew has Higgaion and Selah (words of uncertain meaning) here; Selah occurs also at the end of verse 20.

REFLECT:

‘Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?’ (Francis Chan). Be still and silent to help prepare yourself for worship.

Psalms are worship songs. They give us words to sing to God, and also a guiding shape for our praise, prayer, heart-cries, confessions and thanksgivings. This one starts with 12 verses of excited praise for who God is and thanks for what he has done. As we come to pray, it’s always helpful to focus on him first, to help us get things in perspective.

Let’s turn to praise now, telling God how great he is and letting our hearts be lifted by remembering all the great things he has done, since the creation through Bible times, more recent history, and in our own lives, and what he will do in the future. Some of the psalm’s own words could help us with this. Let’s allow our hearts to be lifted by the sheer wonder of it all.

Now notice the mood change between verses 12 and 13. Remembering how great the Lord is tells us we can come to him with our deepest needs and hurts. Let’s do this now in prayer, perhaps picking up on some of the tough issues we’ve explored in 1 Corinthians. Notice the songwriter focuses on the small and the vast – on his own needs (vs 13,14) and the need for justice in the world (vs 15–18).

APPLY:

Thank God for the right perspective that this kind of praying can bring (vs 19,20).

CLOSING PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank you for involvement in my life. Help to see your hand in the small happenings of my daily life.

WORSHIP:

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