The Lord is My Refuge

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Scripture: Psalm 9:7-10 (NIV)

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.

 

Devotion:

            Today we look at another psalm attributed to David. It does not fit in with any one genre of psalm. In fact, psalms nine and ten may have originally been one psalm. Together they form an acrostic poem with every other line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm has two basic themes. The first twelve verses are a hymn of thanksgiving, and the remainder is a prayer for deliverance from suffering.

 

            Verse seven through ten are all about the greatness of the Lord. They indicate that God is righteous and trustworthy. He always delivers His people in times of difficulty or suffering. Indeed, the Lord is a safe haven for those who are oppressed and fearful. Those who truly seek after the Lord will find Him and He will never forsake those who trust in him according to the psalmist. The Lord will ultimately prevail over all His enemies.

 

            This psalm is very useful in today’s world. It seems that lies, evil, and wickedness rule the earth these days. This has caused many Christians to become fearful and distrustful of all that is going on around them. We, as Christians, are seeking safety and shelter from the cultural storm that is brewing all around us. This psalm offers us comfort and guidance in that storm. We can trust in God that He will ultimately deliver us from all our trials and temptations. No matter how bad things look for us now, we can know that our God is still on the throne and in control.

 

Prayer:

 

            Hear us O Lord, we cry to you today. Deliver us from this cultural storm that is blowing up all around us. Make us strong and courageous to fight the battle that must be fought to show the world that You are God and there is none beside you. When the battle is too much for us provide us with a refuge from the fighting. Help us in our times of doubting and discouragement to see and know that you are there for us. Amen.

            

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