June-06-0441-God remembers His people
441_God remembers His people Psalm 9 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. 4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Years ago, during the Second World War, a Dutch woman named Corrie ten Boom and her family were arrested by the Nazis for hiding Jews in their home. Her father died soon after. Her beloved older sister died after a year of great suffering in Ravensbrück, the notorious women’s labor camp. There were days of starvation, humiliation, and unspeakable cruelty. In the depths of that darkness, having lost everything, Corrie was sustained by the simple truth: God remembers His people. She would later write, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Psalm 9, written by King David, echoes this same deep conviction— in the most desperate situation, facing the strongest enemy, God remembers His people. This song of praise is a bold declaration of faith in a God who sees, who judges rightly, and who never forgets the afflicted. David begins this Psalm not with complaints or fears but with wholehearted praise. “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” His exuberant and deeply personal words reflect his ingrained awareness that God’s deliverances had been too many to allow doubt or block his full-throated praise. This passionate worship was on display when David danced before the Ark of the Covenant as it entered Jerusalem. During the first attempt, God struck down Uzzah for touching the ark, reminding David of the reverence with which God is to be approached. The second time, he danced for joy, unashamed. Half-hearted worship does not do justice to God’s wholehearted love. He has saved us, preserved us, and shown us mercy. We cannot help but respond with our whole hearts. David says in verse 5, “You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted