Worship XIII, Day 5 I Will Bless: Digging Deeper
March 28, 2025
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Psalm 9
3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my just cause; you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge. 5 You have rebuked the nations: You have destroyed the wicked; you have erased their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin; you have uprooted the cities, and the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness. 9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you because you have not abandoned those who seek you, Lord.
11 Sing to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim his deeds among the nations. 12 For the one who seeks an accounting for bloodshed remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the oppressed.
13 Be gracious to me, Lord; consider my affliction at the hands of those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, 14 so that I may declare all your praises. I will rejoice in your salvation within the gates of Daughter Zion.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they made; their foot is caught in the net they have concealed. 16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed justice, snaring the wicked by the work of their hands.
Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy will not always be forgotten; the hope of the oppressed will not perish forever.
19 Rise up, Lord! Do not let mere humans prevail; let the nations be judged in your presence.e 20 Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only humans. Selah
The Original Intent
1) Who wrote Psalm 9 and what was happening in his life at the time?
This psalm was written by David, the most well-known king of Israel of whom God said was a man after His own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14) Most agree David was reminiscing through this psalm about having faced Goliath when he was younger. David encountered many trials in his life, so it’s reasonable to think he may have been preparing to face another “giant” in his life. David’s psalms often follow a pattern of encouraging his soul by reminding himself of all God has formerly done. (Psalm 103)
Perhaps it has been a while since you read David’s victory over Goliath recorded in 1 Samuel 17. If so, go read #HisWordsBeforeMine! The shepherd boy David was the youngest of eight boys. His three oldest brothers were off fighting in King Saul’s army against the Philistines. Their father sent David with food for his boys at war, but when David arrived on the battlefield, everything was at a standstill. The Philistines boasted an enormous giant who stood over nine feet tall. Goliath challenged the army of Israel to fight an Israelite one-on-one. Not surprisingly, no one stepped forward; everyone was terrified of Goliath. That is, until David showed up with his faith.
David told King Saul he would fight the giant alone. Initially, King Saul was reluctant, but when David insisted, based on the Lord’s victory with him in slaying lions and bears, sure that this Philistine would be like them, Saul agreed.
David refused Saul’s armor, choosing instead to battle Goliath with a slingshot, five smooth stones, and his Victorious God. Goliath mocked David, but David placed one stone in his slingshot and slung it right at the giant. The stone sunk into Goliath’s forehead, killing him instantly. David stood over the giant and, using Goliath’s own sword, cut off his head. David stood in the Lord’s Victory!
The Everyday Application
1) Who wrote Psalm 9 and what was happening in his life at the time?
If you were to re-write Psalm 9 to encourage your own soul and give thanks to God from scenes in your life, what events would you recall? What giants have you faced where you have seen God do marvelous things? Take time to thoughtfully reflect and actually make note of these times. What was the circumstance? What characteristics did you note in the Lord? How did He show you attentive care and compassion?
I could list a myriad of things. Most assuredly, I would think of how God has carried me through years of chronic pain and the dismissal of my husband from pastoral ministry through betrayal. God was faithful at every point, never abandoning us. We wondered how we would make it through this season, but here we are on the other side of betrayal, still held by the Lord. I lean hard on these experiences now as my husband faces stage three pancreatic cancer.
If you haven’t walked with the Lord before now, take heart! He is still for you! We can look to the Scriptures and other believers to see the character of God and how He acts toward His sons and daughters in times of need. Consider asking a Christian friend this week how they have seen God work in their lives!
The Original Intent
2) What is the purpose of praise and worship? (verses 1-4)
Prayer is communicating with God, and the more we practice it, the more familiar and deeper our relationship with the Lord grows. The reverse is also true for, without the constancy of prayer and a lack of acknowledging Him, we develop anemia in our spiritual lives, easily forgetting what God has done and what He is capable of accomplishing.
In the abandonment of connection, we focus more on ourselves and our needs than on the God who is our Sole Provider. Beginning our prayer time with adoration of our great God draws us near to God, reminding our souls of how wonderful He is. Thus, our faith is rekindled. (J. Oswald Sanders, Prayer Power Unlimited, C.S. Lewis Institute)
A useful acronym to remind us to begin with praise is A. C. T. S.. The four steps using this acronym are 1) Adoration 2) Confession 3) Thanksgiving 4) Supplication. At just a glance, we see the importance of lifting God up and humbling ourselves before him.
Consider exploring God’s Word for yourself and finding some verses to pray alongside each prayer step with A. C. T. S.. If you’re already familiar with several passages, challenge yourself to find new ones! Unsure of where to start? You only need to read a few Psalms to find examples of each prayer step, so get started and draw near to the Lord!
The Everyday Application
2) What is the purpose of praise and worship? (verses 1-4)
God inhabits the praises of His people; that’s my personal translation of Psalm 22:3, and I use these words of truth to remind my soul of the importance of worship. I can think of no better place for my soul to be than to be praising our God. Whether worried, fearful, carrying anxiety, grief, sorrow, joy, or excited delight, nothing compares to spending time in the courts of the Lord to give Him praise!
The author of Psalm 100 pairs praise with God’s character in verses 4-5,
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good,
and His faithful love endures forever; His faithfulness, through all generations.”
Another psalmist sings in Psalm 84:10, “Better a day in your courts
than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than live in the tents of wicked people.”
I have often found in my melancholy that if I sing His praises, I am soon no longer gloomy, but joyful. God has done much for me, and I cannot help but praise Him. Worship draws me near to God and lifts my spirits high.
When I consider how God has carried me through my pain, suffering, and loss of all kinds, I am humbled before Him, and I praise His Name. As promised in James 4:10, He lifts me up as I come near so I am positioned to be blessed by Him. Humility before God acts as an elevator for our souls.
The Original Intent
3) How was David able to praise the Lord amid his trials? (verses 3-6)
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said of David’s psalm 9 that this was no “half-hearted praise”. David praised God “with his whole heart”. (Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David) Satan attempts to pull us down when trials arise, but the best defense against our enemy is praise! It’s so essential that the Lord even ordains a “stronghold of praise” as uttered from the lips of babies and children! (Psalm 8:2)
David was determined to always praise God, regardless of his circumstances. David had found praise to be so instructive to his heart that he wrote in the longest recorded psalm, “I praise You seven times a day for Your righteous judgements.” (Psalm 119:164) God had done so much for David in the past that praise simply bubbled out of him.
Just in Psalm 9 alone, we can see David’s determination to choose praise:
“I will thank the Lord with all my heart.” (verse 1)
“I will declare all your wondrous works.” (verse 1)
“I will rejoice and boast about You.” (verse 2)
“I will sing about Your name, Most High.” (verse 2)
“I will rejoice in Your salvation.” (verse 14)
No matter the current scene of your life, the Lord will always be worthy of our praise!
The Everyday Application
3) How was David able to praise the Lord amid his trials? (verses 3-6)
The practice of remembering God in spite of pain increased David’s trust that God was faithfully working behind the scenes. David’s practice has helped me create my own tools for choosing praise in my circumstances.
1) Meditate
God often prepares us for our trials if we practice coming to Him daily and meditating on the truths of His Word. (verses 9-10) Before my chronic pain began, I had studied Psalm 119. [She Reads Truth] This psalm focuses on delighting in the Word of God; meditating on it dramatically increased my love for Scripture. I haven’t stopped reading God’s Word daily since that summer of 2011.
2) Sing
God gives each of us a song to sing. (verse 11) That same summer, Laura Story released her song, Blessings. Her song challenges us to consider the idea that God’s greatest blessings are found wrapped inside the hardest aspects of our lives. Hymns are another excellent tool, and Gracefully Truthful has studied many wonderful song lyrics from Journey Into Worship I through this current one, Journey Into Worship XIII.
3) Remind
Remind yourself what God has done for you by physically making a list. (verses 3-10) Later in my faith journey, Ann Voskamp released her book, One Thousand Gifts where she challenged readers to begin a gratitude list. She suggested listing three things each day for which you are grateful. When you get to 1,000, you’ll find joy restored to your soul!
4) Discipline
It’s a small practice but choosing to read a psalm every day has influenced my life more than I can tell. The discipline of daily reading a psalm ranks number one on my list. A pastor once told me to read a psalm daily, and it has proven to be one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received and followed!
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