The Right Perspective {Psalm 9}

Scripture reading: Psalm 9

Are you a, “half empty” or “half full” kind of girl when you look at things going on around you? I’ll admit I used to see things half empty, but I’ve changed and believe I’ve learned the secret to keep from growing discouraged in this life. 

When David wrote this Psalm, he was dealing with the Philistines, probably his most powerful enemy at the time, yet he knew that God reigned supremely and had everything under control. Notice:

The Lord reigns forever;
    he has established his throne for judgment.
 He rules the world in righteousness
    and judges the peoples with equity.
 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. 

(Psalm 9:7-10)

What, or who are the enemies you’re dealing with today? Is there a situation in your life that seems hopeless? Are you feeling down or discouraged about anything at the moment?  If so, then know you’re not alone.

The news media tells us that suicidal rates are up in this country among all ages. We’ve all heard of celebrities, who appear to be living the American dream ending their lives and we’re left wondering why.  

 I think all of us can think of a time or two when we’ve been discouraged, especially when going through hardships, loss, or illnesses. What’s important to remember, though, is that we shouldn’t let these feelings control us for very long.

Here in Psalm 9, David demonstrates for us what we all need to be doing during these times, and that’s gaining the “big picture” or whole picture. My guy taught me this concept years ago and since I’ve seen it on display over and over throughout God’s Word. You see its John’s job to run companies or large areas made up of many different divisions and there’s rarely a time that all divisions are running "trouble-free" all at once. His managers might start stressing out, and that’s when John would stop and allow them to see the larger picture by going through each different area to see how each were functioning at the moment and usually it was just one or two areas struggling and the rest were running fine.

That is often the case in our lives as well; we may be struggling with sinus issues due to allergy season, but we have our health, our marriage is going great, family is super, church, etc. It’s just this congestion that has us down and out! (I’m speaking from experience here)

Paul also knew the secret to not allowing his circumstances get him down, for the entire book of Philippians was written when Paul was in prison, yet he is focused on joy throughout! In fact, he encourages his readers to "rejoice always!" He essentially said the same to the church of Thessalonica in 1 Thes 5:16-18, “Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! In all things give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus!”

Not all things are praiseworthy all the time, but I bet if we search hard enough we can find things to rejoice over in every situation! Mainly, as David testified of in Psalm 9:7, “Our Lord reigns forever…”. He’s got this!

If you are struggling through a challenging time right now I want to encourage you to go to Him and His word. He will not only sustain you during the crisis, but will also improve your perspective. And before taking another step give everything to the Lord, and then sit back and watch Him work things out on your behalf just as the great men did in the past.