Psalm 9:13 “O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,”

[Lord, there are many believers around the world who are literally being pursued to the gates of death. Praise you that you are there, helping them, strengthening them, delivering them, whether it be through the gates of splendor into eternity or out of the clutches of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram. You are both faithful and merciful in the help you powerfully provide.

Protect them, engrace them, help them to respond with your thoughts: praise for the privilege of suffering, prayer for the persecutors and blessing for those who misuse them (Matt 5:11,12,43,44). May this result in many coming to faith in Christ.]

Psalm 9:14 “that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.”

[One major purpose of deliverance is to give you glory, Lord, to praise you for your goodness, to rejoice in you–not just to be relieved at the end of our pain and turn back to our self-centered, futile living.

Praise be to you for your power to preserve, for your strength to save, your promise to protect, your commitment to keep. May we live in the light of that today, passing through difficulties with the power of the Spirit, praising you for your deliverences–past, present and future.]

Psalm 9:11-12

“Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; for he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.”

[Praise you, O Great Lord, for you are just; you will avenge evil, you will not forget.   I thank you that you pay close attention to the cry of the afflicted, you know each person’s heart, each person’s suffering, each person’s deep desire for security and significance, for belonging, worth and competence.

As it says in Isaiah 51:12-15, “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD Almighty is his name.”

We all long for freedom from the oppression of the enemy, primarily Satan, and you, Lord, have provided for that in the death and resurrection of Christ. I praise you, Heavenly Father, for your care for us, your guidance and your protection. You are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor. Today we offer you praise, exaltation and obedience. Amen.

Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you,”

[Your name, Lord, communicates your commitment to constant and complete provision, to protection and a place in your Kingdom.

Your name, Elohim, means the strong and faithful One, and you have shown your power in creation and your faithfulness in providing salvation through Christ.

Your name, Adonai, means the powerful Authority who has the right to demand obedience, and along with that promises complete provision of all we need to live for and obey you.

Your name Yahweh, means the holy One who is utterly independent of your creation and utterly committed to caring for it. You are the Hater of sin, the Judge of evil and the Lover of your sinful creatures.

You are the great I AM, with no beginning and no end, ever existent, ever powerful, ever present.  You are absolutely, utterly, completely, eternally trustable; to not trust in you is a great sin, denigrating your mighty, majestic, magnificent Name.]

“for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

[The record speaks: you have come to the rescue of all who have called upon you: Adam, Able, Abraham, Moses, the Children of Israel (many, many, times), the Judges of Israel, David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, the Apostles, Paul–and us.

As we seek you, call out to you, you are faithful to answer. As it says in Psalm 34:4-8, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

So let us take refuge in the Almighty One who will never forsake us and helps those who take refuge in Him.]

Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,”

[Praise you, Yahweh, the great I AM, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is aware of each of the oppressed and calls every one of us to yourself for refuge.

People are oppressed first and foremost by the devil as he keeps them enslaved by fear of death, by desire and deception, by division and distraction.  And he oppresses through evil people, evil persuasions, evil purposes.  Then we are also oppressed by our own negative nature where selfishness, pride, lust and greed successfully seek to rule us.

But you, Lord Jesus, have opened a door out of this miserable mess of darkness and despair into the Kingdom of Light where you are our personal refuge and strength so we may give you ever increasing glory.]

The Lord is “a stronghold in times of trouble.”

[In you we are safe from the attacks of the enemy, in you we find comfort, rest, salvation and protection.  In you we find love, grace, goodness and help.  In you we find forgiveness, pardon, cleansing and transformation. In you there is loving chastening, firm correction and certainty of rebuke when needed.  In you there is deliverance from deception, lust, selfishness and independence. You are our protector from all troubles, sooner or later, as long as we dwell in your shelter.

As it says in Psalm 91:1-4 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” ]

Lord, help me to willfully take shelter in you today, my mighty rock and my refuge.