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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. \u2026 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal. (Psalm 9:9-10,19-20)

Most of this Psalm is a prayerful song of praise to God for who he is as Judge of the Nations and what he has done in showing himself to be a refuge for the oppressed against their oppressors. \xa0But near the end of the Psalm, the tune begins to turn from praise to plea: a plea for justice and judgement against the nations and the wicked. \xa0

Across the Psalm, the congregation who may have sung or recited it identify themselves with the oppressed and needy. \xa0\u201cThe Lord is a refuge for the oppressed\u201d and a God who never forsakes those who seek him. \xa0On the other side, the enemy is identified with the nations, the mortals, the wicked ones. \xa0

I have often found it hard to draw such hard lines as the Psalms do. \xa0I am rarely as confident in my own righteousness as David is when he shouts out: \u201cVindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness!\u201d (Psalm 7:8). \xa0I likewise have a hard time slapping the label of wicked on anyone and asking for them to be destroyed. \xa0

But there\u2019s more to the prayers of the Psalms than just these hard lines and categories. \xa0Surely the wicked and the enemies were present within Israel too. \xa0Surely there were also wealthy and arrogant people among the Israelites that were not \u201coppressed.\u201d

And yet, when the Israelites came to worship before their God, they became \u201cthe needy.\u201d \xa0To ask for salvation and justice from God, to recognize that there are powers with which one cannot reckon on one\u2019s own is to admit of one\u2019s need. \xa0To recognize that we are \u201conly mortal\u201d is to knock our arrogance and pretentions down to a size that makes such an admission of need possible.\xa0

As they enter worship, the Israelites are humbled by remembering it is only by God\u2019s work\u2014not their own\u2014that they are saved and preserved, and this whether they find themselves in humble and oppressive circumstances, or not. \xa0From this worship perspective, a similar prayer emerges for the nations: may they be reminded that they are but mortal. \xa0May the nations also be humbled in the presence of God so to admit of their need.

This, I think, is a very good way to hear this Psalm spiritually for all those of us who might not find ourselves to be particularly \u201coppressed\u201d at any given moment. \xa0

But of course, there is also a very real and hard thread that runs through this Psalm that we just can\u2019t ignore: the Judge will judge with justice. \xa0Those who really are oppressed or needy, those who are addicted, abused, homeless, hungry, or afflicted in whatever other way\u2014they have a refuge in God when they seek him. \xa0Not just because he comforts them, but also because he brings justice. \xa0

This Psalm also serves as a call to all of us who may not be oppressed to keep a keen eye out: both for those who are, but also for the ways that we might be contributing to their oppression. \xa0This is where the spiritual meets the practical: as we are humbled to our own mortality and need in worship before God the Judge, we are called to gain the eyes to see others who were already there. \xa0

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: \xa0 \xa0

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you.\xa0
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

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