Psalm 9

To the leader: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
1   I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole         heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2   I will be glad and exult in you;
    I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3   When my enemies turned back,
    they stumbled and perished before you.
4   For you have maintained my just cause;
    you have sat on the throne giving righteous         judgment.
5   You have rebuked the nations, you have         destroyed the wicked;
    you have blotted out their name forever and         ever.
6   The enemies have vanished in everlasting         ruins;
    their cities you have rooted out;
    the very memory of them has perished.
7   But the LORD sits enthroned forever,
    he has established his throne for judgment.
8   He judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with equity.
9   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
10   And those who know your name put their         trust in you,
    for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those         who seek you.
11   Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in         Zion.
    Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12   For he who avenges blood is mindful of         them;
    he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13   Be gracious to me, O LORD.
    See what I suffer from those who hate me;
    you are the one who lifts me up from the         gates of death,
14   so that I may recount all your praises,
    and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
    rejoice in your deliverance.
15   The nations have sunk in the pit that they         made;
    in the net that they hid has their own foot         been caught.
16   The LORD has made himself known, he has         executed judgment;
    the wicked are snared in the work of their         own hands.  Higgaion. Selah
17   The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
    all the nations that forget God.
18   For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
    nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19   Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail;
    let the nations be judged before you.
20   Put them in fear, O LORD;
    let the nations know that they are only         human.         Selah

Daily Prayer (based on Psalm 9:1)

Gracious God, sometimes I am so stingy with my thanksgiving to You. Yes, I say "Thanks" every now and then. But I take so much for granted. Countless gifts from You I receive as if they're normal, or worse, as if I'm entitled to them by something I've done. Forgive me, Lord, for my measured gratitude. And, by Your Spirit, teach me to thank You with my whole heart, not just a small part. Help me to choose continually to recognize You, to acknowledge Your goodness to me. Give me eyes, dear Father, to see Your gifts to me and to delight in them. May I live my life in gratitude! May I thank You for all – not just some, but all – of Your wonderful deeds!

Postscript

In Hebrew, the heart is not primarily the place where we feel emotions. Rather, it's the center of our will, our choosing. To love God with our whole heart isn't a matter of feeling lots of gratitude so much as choosing to thank Him continually. We see an example of this sort of gratitude in the Apostle Paul, who is constantly thankful for his churches (e.g. 1 Thess 1:2-3).

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Except for the Scripture text, all material of The Daily Psalm Copyright © 2006 by Mark D. Roberts

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The Scripture text used in The Daily Psalm is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved