PSALM 9 SONG OF FAITH

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 
¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.
² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to 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; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.
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 the enemy, 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 will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
⁹ The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
¹¹ Sing praises to 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 cry of the afflicted.
¹³ O 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 the Daughter of 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 justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
Selah
¹⁷ The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸ But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.
¹⁹ Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.
²⁰ Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men.
Selah

When you face the storms of life do you curse the wind or praise the Lord who will deliver you from the danger? This psalm is truly a song of faith. David is facing an assault from his enemies and not only does he immediately turn to God, he praises God for his future deliverance as if it has already been accomplished. For David, God is all powerful and sovereign, but he is also steadfast and true. As he faces this attack, David remembers how God has delivered him before and rests on the knowledge of God’s integrity and mercy to those who turn to him.

For the ancients the idea of hurdling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, miles above the earth, sitting between sets of fiery furnaces would be absolutely terrifying. Yet, few of us have a second thought about flying in an airplane. It is a great act of faith to assume we will arrive unharmed at our desired destination. And that faith is revealed by the attitude that we plan the rest of our trip as if the flight had already been successfully completed.

We need to aspire to such a faith during our travels each day in this life. Rather than confidence in ourselves or a naïve disregard for evil, we should develop an intentional confidence in God and his will. Like David, our confidence is strengthened and displayed by our praising God in all circumstances. Would not it be wonderful to be so reliant on God that we could live each day with the calm confidence with which we face flying in an airplane?

Strengthen my awareness of your providence playing out in the world around me, and therefore, my faith in you, O Lord. May I have the eyes of faith that see your loving and merciful, and yet just, hand at work in my life. Help me live in an intentional awareness of your love and providence, which issues forth in praise. Amen.