But you, you are to be feared. Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused, from the heavens you uttered judgment. The earth feared and was still when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth on a picture of our God, the God we pray to. He is to be feared. Who can stand before Him in His holy anger towards sin and sinners. From the heavens He utters judgment and the earth fears and is still when God rises to establish judgment.
– Psalm 76:7–9
Oh, I read these verses, I’m just reminded that in and of myself, you in and of yourself, we deserve the judgment of God.
Psalm 76:7–9 Reminds Us of God’s Judgment & Mercy
We’ve sinned against God. We have rebelled against Him. And we deserve eternal everlasting judgment for our sin. There’s no way I could, you could stand before God in His holy anger and holy justice.
And yet, verse nine, when God rises to establish judgment and to save all the humble of the earth. And I read that verse and I think, yes, yes. God save me. Is this not the cry of your heart? This is the gospel. We deserve judgment from God, yet God, who can rightfully rise and judge us for all the eternity, He chooses to save all who trust in Him, His love for us, His mercy, He pours out mercy, salvation on all those who humble themselves before Him.
Psalm 76:7–9 Reminds Us of God’s Favor for the Humble
God, deliver us from all pride, and I pray that in my life, I pray that over every single person listening to this right now, deliver us, save us from our pride. We pray for humility. God, we pray that we would be the humble of the earth before you, God knowing that left to ourselves in and of ourselves, we deserve your holy judgment. We cast ourselves before you and praise you for your love for us, for your salvation in our lives. Jesus, we praise you as the one who saves us from our sins.
And we know, I just think about one of my favorite quotes from Charles Spurgeon, that “Pride cannot live beneath the cross.” God, we pray that you would remove all pride from our minds and our hearts, and that you would help us to live with humility before you and before others, to humble ourselves today before others, and to point them to you knowing that your judgment is coming for all the earth.
Praying for the Bru People
God, we pray that you’d help us to spread the good news of your salvation to people around us today and people around the world, for the Bru people of Thailand, a hundred thousand of them. Lord, we pray the good news of your mercy would spread to the Bru people of Thailand that they might be saved from the judgment they deserve in their sin.
God, we pray this for people groups around the world, unreached people who’ve never heard of your mercy, who right now are under your judgment. Lord, we pray, cause the gospel to spread to them and use our lives to spread the gospel to them. God, we praise you for your salvation, for the humble, and we pray that you would help us to live with humility before you, with right, appropriate fear of you, even as we enjoy your salvation of us. And God, you’d help us to live with urgency, to spread this salvation on the earth. In Jesus’ name we pray according to Psalm 76:7–9. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
