Three Consolations from Psalm 9
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the bad news in the world – riots, abuse, COVID, human trafficking, poverty, etc? If I let my mind ponder all the current negative events in world (not to mention the past), fear could easily overtake me and wrap me in the fetal position in a dark corner.
While I’m tempted to ask God why He allows such things, I believe I hear the Holy Spirit whisper, “Why does man allow these things?” See, God gave us everything. A perfect world, perfect bodies, perfect relationships, etc., and we messed it up. So while we are certainly culpable and I have no right to question the God of the universe, the question of why He doesn’t intervene in the world’s pain still gnaws at the back of my mind occasionally. Or does He?
As I was reading Scripture in a new and different way suggested by Barry Black, chaplain for the U.S. Senate (listen here, 2nd hour), I felt the Lord revealed the following consolations for my conundrum in Psalm 9 (ESV).
God is the Righteous Judge
For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. Vs 4
But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. Vs. 7-8
No one wants justice more than God. After all, it was His idea! While it may not seem like it at times, God is on His throne and in control. He is the only one who has the right to judge, and He does so justly. While negative headlines are the news industries lifeblood, we also see God’s justice all around us. He is the only reason there is justice at all. If He didn’t intervene, we would have destroyed this world long ago.
The Evil Have Perished
You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. Vs 5-6
We can all think of people who have caused pain and suffering in varying degrees who are now gone. My husband himself is an abuse survivor (see his video here). They are All.Gone. While their absence does not minimize or erase the immense suffering and wave of destruction left in their wake, they are in fact gone. They did not conquer the world or my husband’s life or annihilate the Bible as intended (Matt 24:35).
He is Our Stronghold
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Vs.9-10;12
Life is downright hard. There have been times in my life where I felt all I could do was wrap my arms around Jesus’ ankles and hang on for dear life or I. Would. Lose. It. God has been my stronghold more times than I can count. He has proved Himself over and over.
And this is the hope I have. No matter what happens God is right here. He is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do (Believing God by Beth Moore). Even in the confusion, fear, and suffering of our world I am not alone, you are not alone. We can rest in the fact that God is here with us and will give us the strength we need when we need it.
