Dec. 19- Psalm 9

I am a bit chagrined to note it has been 4 days since my last post.  I would like to say I have been away on a spiritual retreat in the Rockies, but alas, nothing that impressive.  Bottom line is that I have been just plain lazy about quiet time and Bible study.  And, boy, did I feel it tonight.  I was working a simple project here at home and lost my cool when the dog started whining to go outside.  Time away from God for any extended period of time is a huge mistake for me.

I am back on track and read Psalm 9.   I smiled at the introduction of this Psalm.  "For the director of music. To the tune of 'The Death of the Son.' A psalm of David."  It sounds as if David took a well-known tune of the day and wrote different lyrics to it.  I guess Weird Al Yankovic was not an original.

Is appears from verses 1-12, that David's enemies were at last vanquished by the Lord.  However, verses 13-20, find David still crying out to the Lord for victory over his enemies.  I am not contesting the translators of the Old Testament, but it would seem to me that the order of the sections should be reversed.  Regardless of their order, what does remain consistent throughout Psalm 9 is David's recognition that salvation from his enemies is only through the Lord--not through human manipulation or plans.

I am not advocating a hunker-down mentality  (unless that is God's will) and just wait for a supernatural intervention from God.  But during good times and bad, we should seek God's direction and timing before proceeding and recognize that the ultimate outcome of a situation is in God's hands.

I think this can be difficult for guys.  We are fixers.  Something is not right, we gonna make it right, by golly.  Sink leaking, don't wait for the plummer--hand me a wrench and stand back!  On countless occasions, my unwillingness to wait on God's timing, or even ask God's advice on a situation has created problems beyond measure.  If I would just remember and apply Psalm 9:10-- "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."--I would probably sleep better and quit wasting time trying to tell God how to do His job.


Be sure to remember that Jesus Christ, not Santa Claus, is the focus of this season.