Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Psalm 9: Say it Out Loud


I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
For You have maintained my right and my cause;
You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.
You have rebuked the nations,
You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
O enemy, destructions are finished forever!
And you have destroyed cities;
Even their memory has perished.
But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
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.
11 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.[b] 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

Praise God verbally and whole heartedly.  Really, out-loud, on your lips, say it.  Make it a part of your speech.  At first it might sound odd and awkward but the more you exercise it the more naturally it comes.
Sing praises to God, not just in church or on the radio.  Just sing!  Sometimes when I am reading scripture a verse comes along that I know a song to and I just start singing.  Yep, sing in the shower too.  Nothing makes the devil flee faster than our worship to the One True God.  Dark and light can not abide together.  This is how David starts Psalm 9 to praise, to tell, to rejoice, and to sing.
Verse 3 switches focus onto his situation.  How good are you at complaining?  Does being negative come easy to you?  I know that it slips from my lips a bit too readily.  Instead of carrying on excessively about personal needs or desires or gossip just STOP!!  Make it a point throughout the day to acknowledge God's goodness.  Like a child that doesn't seem to be listening to you, STOP and catch them being good, then say it out loud!  We too need to have a "Holy Spirit pause" (thank you Harvey) and think before we speak.  Thinking about His goodness more often will result in a more positive and spiritual frame of mind.  How does that sound?  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
Lift your gaze to the Shepherd of your soul and let His grace fall fresh upon you.

Coram Deo,
E.W.




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