Psalm 9:9-10 (NLT)
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a
refuge in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You.
My wife and I attended the funeral
of the wife of one of my closest friends. I did not know her that well, certainly not
as well as I knew my friend, a Wabash College fraternity brother. I did not know how strong her faith was,
evidenced by a list of her favorite Scriptures published in the funeral agenda
handout. Seventeen Scriptures were listed with Psalm 9:9-10 at the top of the
list.
Who are the oppressed? The original Hebrew word has the meaning of
being crushed, dejected, and afflicted.
Have you experienced times in your life—maybe right now as you read
this-- when you have felt crushed, dejected, and afflicted? When you think of the word “oppressed” you
think of being under the weight of a very heavy burden, almost more than you
can handle. Oppression comes in the form
of people, organizations, life’s circumstances overall, or even the demonic
that could lead you to serious frustration and depression. You lose your job. You lose your health. You lose a loved one. Someone causes your heart to break in many
pieces. You make a very bad decision that is very costly. Perhaps one of the
greatest outcomes of oppression is the feeling of uselessness. Feeling useless is one of Satan’s greatest
tools in deceiving people and causing them to succumb under the weight of
oppression.
Psalm 9:9 teaches that the Lord is a
shelter or refuge for the oppressed during times of trouble. The Hebrew used for both words has the
meaning of a high place, a stronghold, or a retreat that the Lord provides to
enable the oppressed and the troubled to find relief and help. How is He a shelter and refuge? Well, first and foremost, there are many
biblical passages that make the simple claim, like this one, that He is willing
and able to help you (e.g. Psalm 46:1, Isa 41:10, Matt 11:28, John 16:33,
Romans 8:35-39, many others). The main
problem is that you need to have sufficient faith that God’s promises are true
and that as a child of God, you have a Father in Heaven who is greater than any
problem you will ever face in your life.
Psalm 9:10 emphasizes the importance of trust in God and trust comes
from faith built up through consistency in seeking the Lord through Bible study
and involvement in His work (church, fellowship, service, interest in others,
etc). God also provides people to enter
your life who will help you if you allow them to do so. That’s why those who are most helpful to you
are people who have gone through and emerged victorious from the same
oppression and trouble that you are experiencing (II Cor 1:3-7).
God never abandons those who seek Him. He promises that “I will never leave you or
forsake you” (Heb 13:5), but you must
have a relationship with Him. He is
willing to fight your troubles for you, but you must be willing to give them
over to Him and not keep trying to solve them all by yourself. He brings other people into your life to help
you. That is one of the main roles of
the church, but if you are not involved in a local church, how can its people
help you?
I have personally experienced the Lord
providing a refuge for me during my deepest troubles that have included being
without a job, dealing with a family member who was in serious trouble, dealing
with a significant health problem, and feeling like I no longer could
contribute anything to anyone. I have
been in those situations where I had no answers and had to go to the Lord for
help. He provided it, just like He did
for many people in the Bible like Joseph, and David and Daniel and Paul and
like He has provided for many people I know who experienced far greater problems
than I did. You must trust in His
Word---His promises—that He will be a shelter, a refuge, a hiding place, a very
high place---for you to turn to when you have no other place to go. I am so grateful for God’s helping me in my
times of oppression and trouble and promise that He will help you if you trust
in Him.
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