Psalms 9:1-20: a reflection

1I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works. 2I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish in your presence. 4For you have maintained my just cause. You sit on the throne judging righteously. 5You have rebuked the nations. You have destroyed the wicked. You have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6The enemy is overtaken by endless ruin. The very memory of the cities which you have overthrown has perished. 7But the LORD reigns forever. He has prepared his throne for judgment. 8He will judge the world in righteousness. He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness. 9The LORD will also be a high tower for the oppressed; a high tower in times of trouble. 10Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what he has done. 12For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted. 13Have mercy on me, LORD. See my affliction by those who hate me, and lift me up from the gates of death, 14that I may show all of your praise. I will rejoice in your salvation in the gates of the daughter of Zion. 15The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made. In the net which they hid, their own foot is taken. 16The LORD has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked is snared by the work of his own hands. Meditation. Selah. 17The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God. 18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. 19Arise, LORD! Don’t let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in your sight. 20Put them in fear, LORD. Let the nations know that they are only men. Selah.

In this psalm of praise for God's just judgment, a tender promise stands out for those who feel forgotten and overlooked: For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. The needy and poor may seem forgotten, overlooked, their hope fading; but God does not forget them forever. He is a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge in trouble, who does not forget the cry of the afflicted. The needy who feel forgotten are not forgotten by God; their hope will not finally perish.

Notice the promise: the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. The needy and poor may feel forgotten by all, overlooked, their hope fading, as though no one remembers them; but God does not forget them. However long they seem forgotten, they are not forgotten forever by God; however faint their hope, it will not finally perish. God remembers the needy who feel forgotten, and their hope will not be lost. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted, but remembers them, and their hope is safe with him.

That is a comfort, for we can feel forgotten and overlooked, our hope fading, as though no one remembers us. When we are needy, low, overlooked, we can feel that we are forgotten, that no one cares, that our hope is fading and will perish; but God does not forget the needy, and the hope of the poor will not perish forever. If you feel forgotten and overlooked, your hope fading, do not despair as though you were forgotten forever; God does not forget the needy, and your hope is safe with him. Trust the God who does not forget the needy who feel forgotten, whose hope will not perish, but is remembered by him, as this psalm promises that the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever; for God remembers those who feel forgotten, and their hope, however faint, is safe with him.

Lord, in this psalm of praise for your just judgment, a tender promise stands out for those who feel forgotten and overlooked: for the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. The needy and poor may seem forgotten, their hope fading; but you do not forget them forever. You are a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge in trouble, who does not forget the cry of the afflicted. The needy who feel forgotten are not forgotten by you. Show me the promise: the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. The needy and poor may feel forgotten by all, as though no one remembers them; but you do not forget them. However long they seem forgotten, they are not forgotten forever by you; however faint their hope, it will not finally perish. You remember the needy who feel forgotten, and their hope is safe with you. Give me the comfort of that, for I can feel forgotten and overlooked, my hope fading, as though no one remembers me. When I am needy, low, overlooked, I can feel that I am forgotten, that no one cares, that my hope is fading; but you do not forget the needy, and the hope of the poor will not perish forever. If I feel forgotten and overlooked, my hope fading, keep me from despairing as though I were forgotten forever; you do not forget the needy, and my hope is safe with you. Help me trust the God who does not forget the needy who feel forgotten, Lord.