questions. So this is David, and he writes, I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart.
I will recount of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you. I will sing praise to your
name, O Most High. When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before me, or they stumble and
perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause. You have sat on the
throne giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations. You have made the wicked perish.
You have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins.
Their cities you rooted out. The very memory of them has perished. But the Lord sits enthroned
forever. He has established his throne for justice. He judges the world with righteousness.
The people with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed and a stronghold in times of
trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you. For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those
who seek you. Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion. Tell among the peoples his deeds.
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them. He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord. See my affliction from those who hate me.
O you who lift me up from the gates of death.
So David begins this psalm, and I'm just going to say this psalm, I mean 9 and 10, with praise to God.
That's his first posture in addressing the evil and wickedness, not only within this world, but also that was in David.
He begins with the praise of God, telling God who he is.
I will recount of your wonderful deeds. David chooses to begin his plea for help with the God who
who is worthy to be praised. Notice, David doesn't say,
I am righteous. God, this is not fair.
He begins with the truth of,
this is who God is from eternity past to eternity future.
We read of what God has done in the past, so we are free to grieve over our present circumstance.
And we plead with God to act as he has in the past.
Okay, as you and I read the Bible, if you are someone who reads the Bible,
you read of the history of God engaging his people,
bringing comfort, bringing peace,
meeting them in their present circumstance.
And then you and I need to realize,
where are we in our present circumstance?
And to be honest about it.
And what we are called to be encouraged by
is the way that God has acted in the past,
promised in the present.
He is Emmanuel.
He is God with us.
And that he will meet us again in the future.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
We are to remember.
That's a lot of our reading of the Bible,
is to remember.
It's to remember,
how did God meet the Israelites in the Old Testament?
How has God met the people of God throughout history?
Remember,
that is the God of the Bible.
And that is what he does.
But the big problem is,
we have our own personal expectations
of this is how God needs to meet me today.
And when God does not do that,
we get frustrated.
And we become disenfranchised
with the God of the Bible
and many times the church
and other Christians.
Because we've created this way
that we assume God is gonna meet us.
God is there.
But the truth is,
throughout Scripture,
God is there.
God is worthy of praise.
And God knows.
God is there.
He was there in the past,
throughout history,
and he is there now with you.
He is worthy of praise,
always has been,
always will be.
And God knows.
He's not surprised
by whatever is going on in your life.
He's not a surprise to him.
And this is part of what we do every Sunday
as people of faith in Christ,
is that we gather with a community of believers
to be reminded of these things.
That God is there,
God is worthy of praise,
and God knows.
And we hear words,
and we sing words,
and we recite words
that carry these truths.
So whenever you go home today,
if you take your worship guide,
worship bulletin with you,
I encourage you,
read through it.
Because what you have been reminded of
is these three things.
And what does that mean for you
as you wake up Monday morning?
In this psalm,
there's a cry of lament
from King David.
We don't like lament.
It seems weak
and maybe un-American.
But the majority of the psalms are lament.
Are people crying out to God
for help.
That they would know
that God meets them
in whatever struggle
they are walking through.
Lament
is to be a normal part of our life.
Lament is not saved
for the day you grieve
over someone's passing.
Or someone's hurt against you.
Lament is a part of every day of our life.
That we are to lament
that there is not only evil in this world,
but there's also evil in our heart
that has been unrefined.
I think that's a greater lament.
We are not called to ignore sorrow and evil
that is around us.
We are called to first turn to God
and cry to him
about the affliction we experience.
And this goes for everyone.
If you are five years old,
if you are 12 years old,
especially,
we have five kids at our,
well, four kids at our house,
we have five kids total,
one's 20,
lives on our own,
blah, blah, blah.
But it's also,
it's lamenting.
It's allowing adolescents
to have a deep theology of lament.
I think I'm middle age.
I'm 49.
I don't know.
Is that middle age?
Or maybe it's old.
I'm not sure.
But there's a part of my life
that I realize
there's a part that I just need to lament
and grieve.
And what helps me
is reading the Psalms.
And recognizing,
yeah,
spiritually,
I'm not as far along
as I really thought
I would be at 49.
I thought I'd be
a lot more spiritually mature.
And those are some of the things
that I cry out to God
and turn to him
and acknowledge
my own failure.
And I confess
and repent
knowing
that Christ is the one
who is perfect.
It's Christ who's done
everything right.
as much as I'm called to,
as a child of God,
to live
in the rightness
of his righteousness.
But I realize
more and more
as I grow
that the only perfect
person
is the God-man,
Jesus Christ.
Christ.
So think about
your plea
for mercy
and lament.
If you've ever
even had one,
maybe you haven't
and that's fine.
But think about
where would you start
with that plea?
David here
starts with
praising
the God
of his righteousness.
A call to God
is where our plea
is to begin
and to end.
Our plea is heard
because God
is a stronghold
and it shows
how we seek him.
What does that mean
in your lament,
in your frustration,
in your confusion
of evil
in this world
and in your heart?
What does it mean
that you go to God
first and last?
And what does
that look like?
Verse 12
says,
he does not forget
the cry
of the afflicted.
And maybe
that is where
you are right now
in your life.
That you are
deeply
hurt
and afflicted.
You are not
forgotten.
You are not
forgotten.
God sees
and he hears
and he is
Emmanuel
to you,
God with us.
That's who
he is.
So let's look
at David's
three pleas
for help
in this passage.
His three pleas
for help are,
God,
be gracious
to me,
let not evil
prevail
and forget
not the afflicted.
be gracious
to me,
let not evil
prevail,
forget not
the afflicted.
This shows
the author
David understands
who God is
and how humanity
is called
to come
to God.
We are to come
to God
only by his grace.
Only by his grace.
There is only
one redeemer.
There is only
one mediator
between God
and man
and it is
the Lord
Christ.
And the God
of the Bible
is the great
inviter.
He is the
great initiator
and he is
the God
who moves
toward you.
Notice
David does
not plea
for fairness.
He does
not plead
for what
he has
earned
but he
has a
proper
perspective
of God
as God
relates
to his
creation.
By a plea
for grace
David is
moving
toward God
and reconciliation
only because
God has
invited him.
and God
has invited
you.
He has
invited you
to dwell
within his
house.
He has
invited you
to be called
one of his
children.
He has
invited you
to no longer
be an
orphan
but to be
a child
of God.
And as
you wrestle
through not
only the
evil that
the sin
that you
struggle
with
but also
the sin
that you
see outside
of you
it begins
with
accepting
and living
within that
truth that
you are a
child of God
and that only
comes through
faith in
Christ and
repentance of
sin.
And you
are invited
into that.
So how
does evil
prevail?
Well I
can't fully
answer that
question.
Obviously
that's a
deep
question.
There is
evil in
this world
because this
world is
broken.
This is
not how it
is supposed
to be.
And the
only comfort
I take
in this
is that
there is a
God who's
in charge
of everything.
And he
is not
only
ultimately
wise and
loving and
gracious,
he knows
why
everything
happens
and I
don't.
God's
and that's
just part
of the
mystery
of living
as a
human
being
in
God's
creation.
But there
are a few
things that we
can understand
of why does
evil prevail?
One, because
we are self-centered
and prideful.
We are.
Let's begin
with us.
Okay?
Let's begin
with us.
We are.
We're not
looking outside
of us.
We are.
And the
only healing
and restoration
that we need
is a
redeemer.
we long
to build
a value
system
that revolves
around
ourself.
And we
do that
by ignoring
God
and the
law of
God.
And we're
pretty good
at that.
Aren't
we?
You can
nod.
I'll nod.
Yeah,
we are pretty
good at
that.
verse 2
says,
in arrogance
the wicked
hotly pursue
the poor.
This desire
is to
fill
self
and
ignorance
that are
made for
something
greater.
It's to
fulfill
our own
selfishness.
And then
we long
for selfish
prosperity.
Verse 5,
why do
the selfish
continue
with selfish
pursuits?
Honestly,
because at
some level
it works.
Like,
at some
level
it's
functional.
If we
are selfish
and we
pursue
our own
selfish
desires,
at some
level
you and
I will
find
satisfaction.
Okay,
that is
just true.
At some
level.
Ultimately,
we begin
to destroy
our own
soul,
our own
self,
and the
people
around
us.
And it's
only when
we have
the long
view of
life
and we
see that
there is
a creator
and there
is a
redeemer
and there
is grace
and there
is mercy
and God's
spirit works
within us
that we
can let
those go.
Think of
the workaholic.
The workaholic
will continue
in their
work more
and more
thinking this
is actually
going to
solve it
but actually
it's really
a selfish
thing for
the workaholic.
But what
are we
told
from our
culture?
What we're
told is
well,
the workaholic
you're actually
just not
working hard
enough.
And then
what does
the workaholic
do?
You know
what they
say?
Great.
Now I
have something
more to
do.
And then
they pursue
that more
and more
and more.
And it
is the
complete
opposite
of grace.
It is
the
complete
opposite
of grace.
Another
struggle
that we
have
in our
pleas for
help
is security
of self.
Thinking
I shall
not be
moved.
I am
the one
who holds
who I
am.
I am
the one
who gives
myself
significance.
I am
the one
who is
ultimately
valuable.
And when
we say
that,
what we're
doing
is we're
telling
Christ
and the
God of
the Bible
who created
us and
loves us
that they
really
don't know
what they're
doing.
God's
work of
redemption
is
realigning
these
desires
so we
can be
shaped
by what
is true
and beautiful.
You want
to live
a
flourishing
life?
A
flourishing
life is
understanding
Christ
is all
in all.
And in
your
affliction
and that
you dealing
with the
evil
within you
and the
sinfulness
that you
and I
have,
you dealing
with judgment
and criticism
from people
outside of you,
the only
thing that
heals and
restores is
Christ.
it's not
working
harder.
It's not
being more
wise.
It's not
being more
articulate.
It's not
all of
those things
that is
going to
set you
free.
It's not
another
seminar.
It's not
another
class.
It's not
another
book.
It is
Christ.
And so
when you
wake up
tomorrow
morning
and your
feet hit
the floor,
you have
really two
options.
Your feet
can hit
the floor
and you
can say
something in
the realm
of the
beginning
of Psalm
9 that
God,
you are
worthy of
praise.
Or you
can hit
the floor
and say,
I'm just
going to do
the best I
can.
I'm going to
work really
hard and
this day
hopefully will
turn out much
better than the
next day.
And then
the question
is, what
will you
do Tuesday
morning?
What will
you do
Wednesday
morning?
Because you
will face
affliction.
God does
not forget
the
afflicted.
And in
these
pleas, we
see the
suffering of
Jesus on
our behalf.
For the
afflicted,
the just
for the
unjust,
the innocent
for the
guilty,
the perfect
for the
broken.
The
opposite of
these are
the cries
of the
wicked.
God,
make me
happy.
Give me
wealth and
prosperity.
Make me
secure in
myself.
love.
This
psalm ends
with the
same thing
that Psalm
9 began
with.
So Psalm
10 ends
with the
same thing
that Psalm
9 began
with.
So verses
16 through
18 of
Psalm 10,
the Lord is
king forever
and ever,
the nations
perish from
his land.
The Lord,
this is
Yahweh.
O Lord,
you hear the
desire of the
afflicted,
you will
strengthen their
heart,
you will
incline your
ear to do
justice to
the fatherless
and the
oppressed,
so that man
who is of
the earth
may strike
terror no
more.
The God
of the
Bible is
not far
off.
He is
with the
afflicted
and the
broken.
And maybe
some of
your struggle
might be
that you
aren't able
to admit
that you
are the
afflicted,
that you
are broken.
as I
grow more
and more,
not in
height,
maybe in
weight,
but grow
in age,
I realize
more and
more how
I am
broken
and I
need the
healing work
of Jesus
more and
more.
Your
pleas for
justice
are heard
and
strength
is
provided,
but it
might not
be what
you assume
it should
be,
and the
terror of
evil will
end,
but God's
forever
rule will
never,
ever
end.
I
encourage
you to
move
toward
whatever
brokenness
you know
is in
your life,
whatever
affliction
you feel
like you
have faced,
whatever
evil that
you see
God
bringing
to light
in your
life,
and you
take time
to move
toward that
with
the comfort
of Christ.
Let me
pray.
Most
gracious
God,
we are
thankful
that you
are
your
father,
and we
admit that
maybe our
view of
that word
is very
distorted,
but we
thank you
that you
are a
God who
restores,
and you
meet the
afflicted,
and we
pray that
we would
be people
who would
give you
praise.
We would
be thankful
for who
you are
to us,
that you
are always
with us,
that you
will never
ever forsake
us,
that we
will never
ever be
alone because
of your
great work
and the
work of
Christ.
Thank you
that you
are the
God of
comfort
and peace.
In the
name of
Christ,
we pray.
Amen.