May 26 Daily Devotional

Hitherto the Lord Hath Helped: A Meditation on the Ninth Psalm

Psalm 9

1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Devotional

God's goodness and deliverance in the past furnishes occasion for praising Him. With what assurance do they come to the throne of grace, who rejoice in what He has done for them! And what child of God is there who cannot say, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped me"? They are indeed as dead who do not praise God.

There are many for whom God has worked bountifully. They are ashamed not to acknowledge God, but it is not long before they are singing their own praise and personal triumph. Yea, they may be seeming to praise God, since His name is upon their lips, but if they rob God of a portion of it, they are only pretending to give it to Him. How easy it is to extol our own policies and ways with the name of the Lord Most High! Do men not know that with their sacrilegious arrogance they are defacing God's glory?

Sincere praise looks for its all in God's grace. It will rejoice only in what God does. It knows that there is no such thing as chance with the Lord. All things are before His presence, and because He is pleased to intervene in our behalf we are victorious.

God a Defender

The Lord is a mighty Vindicator of those who love His cause and ways. His judgments are not partial, but He has pledged Himself to execute judgment upon all those who oppose the righteous. God, without waiting, takes the side of those who hold steadfastly to His Word. Let this be a warning to all who are given to misrepresentation and falsehood. God is set against all such. If they would take God to be their ally, they should know that He helps only those who fight under His standard. A good cause only will He defend.

(to be continued)