Psalm 9 Devotional

Shelter for the Forgotten

“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”Psalm 9:9 (BSB)

Wholehearted thanks fills this psalm. David tells of God's wonders and rejoices that God has upheld his cause and judged rightly from his throne (9:1-4). Enemies have stumbled and even their memory has faded, but the LORD remains forever, his throne established for justice (9:6-7). He shelters the oppressed and is a fortress when trouble comes (9:9).

The heart of the psalm is God's attention to those who suffer. The one who avenges bloodshed remembers, and he does not overlook the afflicted when they cry out (9:12). The needy will not be forgotten forever (9:18). That is a promise for people who feel exactly that, forgotten. The psalm also names judgment plainly: the nations fall into the pit they dug (9:15), and David prays that they will learn they are only human (9:20). Justice here is God bringing down the proud and lifting up those they crushed. Those who know his name can trust him, because he has never abandoned those who seek him (9:10).

To think about: Whose suffering, your own or someone else's, do you need to remember that God has not forgotten?