As I was reading Psalm 9 I'm again reminded God's heart for the poor. Encouraging verses like vs. 9 "The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble", and vs 12b "For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless, He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer".
I'm also reminded of the folly of nations that forget about their God in verse 5 "You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever." This is in contrast to the book of life in Revelation 20:15 "And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire." God is a God of Judgement as well as love. Sometimes I'm reminded how trivial things are, how much stock we put into our nation, or into our 'things' and in the end that's not what matters ... but investing our time and energy in what God deems important needs to take precedence.
In 9:16 we have "The Lord is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds." We have a picture of God being just, but the wicked are always trapped by their own design. It's so true, and though it's not necessarily a physical trap, people who insist on doing wrong suffer in their sin. Thank goodness for the blood of Christ that restores us to God, and for His grace that sets us free.
The second part of verse 20 is interesting .. 'Let the nations know they are merely human.' I think many people place too much faith in their nations sometimes, and in their leaders. Some countries more than others. But they are just 'merely human'. During election time, politicians continue to remind us that they are working for us, after election is over, we sometime lift people higher than we should, and sometimes we lift up the ideals of a nation higher than we should. Here is a verse that puts it all into perspective. 'They are merely human'. Though I'm not one to lift up our nation into godhood, or put that much trust in my country ... it is a warning again even my person desires, and how I look at my life. Putting God first in everything is such a struggle against pride, and yet that is what God calls us too. To set aside our pride of country, of nation, of self, and lift Him up in everything.
When I say that you can say "YEAH I'M WITH YOU ... GOD'S AWESOME!" But then the ramification of that is to .. love what God loves ... the poor, the orphans, the widows .... and to hate what God hates ... wickedness .. selfishness etc. It's easy to say that I'm putting my life in the hands of God, it's another to actually embrace it, believe it, be molded in it, and walk with it.
Song today: Riding on a donkey by Great Big Sea. I like at the end in London where the King with the golden crown ends up on a donkey.... big thought, but really who cares... this is a fun song. :)
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