TRUST

READ Psalm 9:1–12. 1 I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. 3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. 4 For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge. 5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. 7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. 11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. 12 For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

Read the psalm portion twice slowly. Then ask three questions and write out your answers:
Adore—What did you learn about God for which you could praise or thank him?
🔹LEARNED ABOUT GOD: does wonderful deeds
rebukes nations
destroys the wicked, blotting out their names forever and ever
reigns forever
He judges
is a refuge and a stronghold
trustworthy
For all of these things I praise Him, for He is the same God today that He was yesterday and will be tomorrow
Admit—What did you learn about yourself for which you could repent?
🔹I repent that I lose sight of just how wonderful God real is, I often let my worries, my frustrations, my anxiety, my troubles seems larger than my God.
Aspire—What did you learn about life that you could aspire to, ask for, and act on?
🔹I’ve learned that I should turn to God more often, that I should be mindful of all the wonderful things He has done in the past and all the wonderful things He has yet to do. I will run to Him as my refuge, my stronghold. I will trust more and more day after day. He is my Immanuel – God with us.

Once you have answered these three questions, you have your own meditation on the psalm. Now read the meditation in the book and incorporate its insights into your journal notes. Finally, turn your meditation—already categorized as adoration, confession, and aspiration—into personal prayer, using the provided “on-ramp” prayer as well. This will take you into the deep level of wisdom and insight the psalms can provide. – Excerpt From: Timothy Keller & Kathy Keller. “The Songs of Jesus.“

THANKS. This psalm helps us toward the spiritual health of a thankful heart. We must discern God’s “wonderful deeds” in our lives, a phrase that can refer to dramatic miracles like the parting of the Red Sea. However, we must also learn to see the more subtle ways God comforts us just when we were ready to give up, or brings the right friend or book or line of thinking into our lives just when we needed it. Recognize and tell of God’s daily, wonderful deeds, and you will have a note of grateful joy as the background music to your life.

Prayer: O Lord, you never forsake the troubled and the afflicted. When I think of your innumerable mercies to me, small and large, I can only cry. . . . What thanks I owe you, and what love! Help me to see the ways you support and guide me every day, so that I will always find new reasons to thank you. Amen…thank you for the reminder that You are always will me. That all I need to do is call upon your name. You are not some genie in a bottle, you are El Elyon – God Most High, and always worthy of all praise.