Читать книгу The Psalms - Herbert O'Driscoll - Страница 16

Psalm 9

The needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

For the psalmist, the single word that describes our relationship with God is “trust.” To those who trust God come resources that can carry them through the most daunting experiences. “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.”

Obviously, the psalmist himself has endured such experiences. We are spared the exact details, but not knowing makes it easier for us to apply the psalm to our own circumstances. In true psalmist fashion the struggle is between good (his own) and evil (his enemies’). “You have rebuked the ungodly and destroyed the wicked.”

An attractive trait in the psalms is the readiness of the psalmist to thank God. We are usually quite ready to implore God for help or guidance or an endless variety of things. We are less ready to give thanks. “I will give thanks to you, O Lord … I will be glad and rejoice in you … I will sing to your name.”

Again, because of the unshakeable trust the psalmist has in God, the word “if” is nearly absent from his vocabulary. Almost always we hear the word “when.” “When my enemies are driven back.” The psalmist is so certain of God’s help that he is able to say, “As for the enemy, they are finished.” Even more remarkable, he can say this while he is still deeply embroiled in the struggle. “Have pity on me, O Lord; see the misery I suffer from those who hate me.”

The psalmist’s deep trust does not come from any denial of his situation, but from utter conviction that, even as he thrashes around in his continuing struggles with life, there is One he knows who will “lift me up from the gate of death.”

As always, the source of this trust lies in what the psalmist understands to be the nature of God. Because “the Lord is known by his acts of justice,” then somehow, in spite of everything, justice will emerge in our dealings with life. For the psalmist this is particularly true where there is oppression with injustice. “The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed … The needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.”

These verses have rung down through the ages, offering hope and changing lives.

Consider someone you trust implicitly. What characteristics in them elicit your trust? How do you behave in the presence of, or in response to, this person? Could you behave this way in your relationship with God? Ask God to strengthen your trust.