I Will Give Thanks To The LORD
Devotional
Companion to the Psalter
A Devotional Guide to the Psalms
Object:
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you ...
For you have maintained my just cause ...
Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail ...
Put them in fear, O LORD;
let the nations know that they are only human.
-- Psalm 9:1-2a, 4a, 19a, 20
Theme: Praise God who judges the world with righteousness
Outline
1-4 -- Praise God for victory!
5-6 -- The enemies have vanished.
7-10 -- The LORD judges rightly.
11-12 -- Sing his praise.
13-14 -- Prayer for relief.
15-16 -- The wicked are snared in their own works.
17-18 -- This gives hope for the future.
19-20 -- Keep it up, LORD!
Notes
• Acrostic or Alphabetical
• Has pairs of verses beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
• It celebrates the victories of David. It also fits well to apply to the victory of the risen Christ.
• Verses 7-8 portray the judgment of God as ultimate over all nations and ultimately victorious.
For Reflection
• Compare its message with that of the Beatitudes. (See Matthew 5:3-11.)
• What makes verses 15-20 an applicable prayer for our time?
Prayer
Lord God, you judge the world with righteousness. Rescue the afflicted and oppressed. Let all the nations revere you, so that they, with all who seek you, may praise and thank you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you ...
For you have maintained my just cause ...
Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail ...
Put them in fear, O LORD;
let the nations know that they are only human.
-- Psalm 9:1-2a, 4a, 19a, 20
Theme: Praise God who judges the world with righteousness
Outline
1-4 -- Praise God for victory!
5-6 -- The enemies have vanished.
7-10 -- The LORD judges rightly.
11-12 -- Sing his praise.
13-14 -- Prayer for relief.
15-16 -- The wicked are snared in their own works.
17-18 -- This gives hope for the future.
19-20 -- Keep it up, LORD!
Notes
• Acrostic or Alphabetical
• Has pairs of verses beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
• It celebrates the victories of David. It also fits well to apply to the victory of the risen Christ.
• Verses 7-8 portray the judgment of God as ultimate over all nations and ultimately victorious.
For Reflection
• Compare its message with that of the Beatitudes. (See Matthew 5:3-11.)
• What makes verses 15-20 an applicable prayer for our time?
Prayer
Lord God, you judge the world with righteousness. Rescue the afflicted and oppressed. Let all the nations revere you, so that they, with all who seek you, may praise and thank you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.