The Lord Reigns Forever - from "School of Prayer," August 2nd, 2026.

Psalm nine starts so nice, with David giving thanks to the Lord with all his heart, telling of all God’s wonderful deeds, singing praise to the name of the Most High. Then the psalm turns, and it does not stay on the Hobby Lobby verse. David moves from praise to enemies stumbling, nations being destroyed, cities uprooted, and finally, “strike them with terror.” Psalm nine will not let the pretty lines get pulled out while the hard lines get left behind.

David writes as a king of a small nation surrounded by larger powers. Israel knew what it meant for nations to make plans to erase its name, and David’s thanksgiving rises out of suffering, bloodshed, oppression, and danger. God is not pictured as distant from the actions of nations. God contends with nations, judges with righteousness, and can topple the powerful when no one else can.

Psalm nine names God as the righteous judge, and that is good news for people crushed by brutality. Sudanese families separated by war, refugees fleeing genocide, and people carrying stories of torture and loss are not invisible to God. God hears the cries of the afflicted. God remembers blood. God does not ignore the poor, the oppressed, or the needy.

But Psalm nine also turns the question back toward any person or group with power. David himself was not immune from using his position to harm someone else, as he did with Uriah. Justice matters to God not only when nations are cruel, but also when personal power, influence, or advantage gets used to disadvantage another human being.

Psalm nine also calls God a refuge, a stronghold in times of trouble. That refuge does not always mean bodies are spared or circumstances are fixed. Revelation carries the same picture forward: evil powers rage, the Lamb sits on the throne, and in the end God wins. When bodies cannot be protected, God still protects souls, dignity, and eternal destiny.

The church is drawn into that refuge work. Matthew 25 pictures the Son of Man judging the nations and identifying himself with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, sick, and imprisoned. God’s people become part of God’s care for the vulnerable when dignity, welcome, and help are offered in Jesus’ name.

David’s thanksgiving is not half-hearted, reluctant, or Sunday-only praise. Psalm nine calls for visible faith, honest gratitude, justice-seeking lives, and refuge-giving love in a world full of conflict and hostility.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Wholehearted praise tells the truth David’s praise does not come from an easy life or a cleaned-up version of reality. His thanksgiving rises while enemies still threaten and distress still sits close by. Wholehearted praise is not pretending everything is fine; it is naming God’s goodness loudly enough that fear and suffering do not get the final word. [28:51]
• 2. Justice matters deeply to God Psalm nine refuses to picture God as indifferent to nations, bloodshed, poverty, or oppression. God sees the actions of the powerful, hears the cries of the afflicted, and judges with righteousness. Faith that moves toward Jesus cannot treat justice as optional when Scripture ties it so closely to God’s own heart. [14:48]
• 3. Power must examine itself David can cry out as a victim, but David’s own life also shows how easily power can become a tool for harm. The question is not only whether God will judge enemies out there, but whether hidden advantage, silence, or control has wounded someone nearby. Integrity before God means letting the righteous judge search even the places that feel uncomfortable to name. [19:26]
• 4. Refuge does not mean escape God as a stronghold does not mean every danger disappears or every body is protected from suffering. Revelation shows persecuted believers that evil may rage for a time, but the Lamb still wins in the end. God’s refuge reaches deeper than circumstances, guarding dignity, soul, and eternal destiny when chaos presses hard. [25:07]
• 5. The church becomes a stronghold God’s people are not meant to admire refuge from a distance while vulnerable people stand outside the door. Matthew 25 places Jesus among the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned. The church becomes part of God’s kingdom mission when welcome, care, and dignity become visible acts of faith.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:35] - Why Psalm Nine Follows Psalm Seven
• [01:29] - Reading the Whole Psalm
• [03:22] - Psalm Nine Begins with Praise
• [05:47] - From Thanksgiving to Terror
• [06:33] - Three Main Themes in Psalm Nine
• [07:33] - God Cares About Nations
• [09:23] - Sudan, Refugees, and Real Suffering
• [14:48] - God as Righteous Judge
• [19:26] - When Power Causes Harm
• [21:26] - God as Refuge and Stronghold
• [24:01] - Revelation and the Lamb’s Victory
• [26:16] - The Church as God’s Hands and Feet
• [28:26] - Thanksgiving in the Middle of Distress
• [30:57] - Living Out Psalm Nine This Week

Bible Reading

Psalm 9
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all 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 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, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, 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, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah. The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah” [03:30]

Matthew 25:31-40
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” [26:38]

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,” [16:11]

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 9, what kinds of things does David say about God’s rule over nations, the wicked, and the afflicted? [14:48]
2. What words or images in Psalm 9 show that this psalm moves from joyful praise into distress, conflict, and judgment? [05:47]
3. In Matthew 25:31-40, who does Jesus especially identify himself with, and what actions are named toward those people? [27:14]
4. In Luke 4:18, which groups of hurting people are specifically mentioned as the focus of Jesus’ mission?

Interpretation questions

1. Psalm 9 calls God both a righteous judge and a stronghold. How do those two pictures work together for people living under suffering or threat? [21:42]
2. David praises God for justice against enemies, yet David’s own life shows how power can be misused. How does that deepen the way Psalm 9 should be read by people who have influence, authority, or advantage? [19:26]
3. Psalm 9 says God does not forget the needy, and yet many faithful people still suffer deeply. What does it mean to say God is a refuge when circumstances are not quickly fixed? [25:07]
4. Matthew 25 places Jesus among the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned. How does that shape the way a church should think about justice, mercy, and everyday care for vulnerable people? [28:02]

Application questions

1. Psalm 9 begins with wholehearted thanks, not half-hearted or private-only praise. What would wholehearted gratitude look like in this season of life for you? Is there a place where your faith has become quiet, cautious, or hidden? [28:57]
2. God hears the cries of the afflicted and cares about justice. Where have you become more aware lately of suffering, oppression, or unfairness, either nearby or far away? How might God be asking you not to look away? [14:48]
3. Power can be used to help or to harm. Where do you have power right now through words, position, resources, confidence, or social influence? Could any of that be disadvantaging someone else without you fully noticing it? [21:19]
4. God’s refuge does not always mean immediate escape from pain. In what part of life do you most need God to be your stronghold right now? What would it look like to trust him there, even if the situation does not change quickly? [25:31]
5. Jesus identifies himself with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, sick, and imprisoned. Which of those people do you naturally notice, and which do you tend to overlook? What is one practical way you could move toward one of “the least of these” this week? [27:53]
6. God’s people are called to become part of his refuge-giving work. Who in your life right now might need welcome, dignity, practical help, or simply a safe person to talk to? What small but real step could you take? [28:02]
7. Visible faith includes telling of God’s goodness in the middle of real life. Who could you honestly share God’s goodness with this week, not in a polished way, but in a simple and sincere one? [30:57]