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, oh Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
– Psalm 9:9–10
I love these psalms. They’re so good. They’re so encouraging. This Psalm, specifically, Psalm 9:9, “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed. A stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 9:9–10 Explains How the Lord Cares for those in Trouble
Whenever you are oppressed or you are attacked or injustice is done toward you, the Lord God is a stronghold for you. Whenever you are in times of trouble, the Lord God, Yahweh, the creator of the universe, the God who reigns sovereignly over all things, is a stronghold for you in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you. Oh, just think about his name. He’s the Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, Jehovah Jireh, the provider, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord who is peace, the Lord who is your banner, the Lord who is your strength. God’s the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He’s God Almighty, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of heavenly armies, those who know him as all these things trust in him. Those who know your name, put their trust in you.
When you’re struggling in times of trouble or when you’re oppressed, attacked, unjustly treated, lift your eyes and look to the name of God. Put your trust in him. “For you, oh Lord,” the end of Psalm 9:10 says, “have not forsaken those who seek you.” Seek God and know he will never forsake you. He will never leave you. He will be the stronghold you need as you seek after him.
Psalm 9:9–10 Reminds Us God Will Never Leaves Us
God, we praise you for never leaving us alone, not only not leaving us alone, but being our strength, our help. You are our refuge and strength and ever-present help in times of trouble. God, we praise you that, when we are oppressed or attacked or unjustly treated, that you are a stronghold for us. You in all of your justice, in all of your righteousness, in all of your power are a stronghold for us.
God, we praise you that in times of trouble, I pray for every person listening to this right now who is in any time of trouble that they would know in this moment that you are a stronghold for them. And in any moment of trouble that comes our way today, may we immediately know you are a stronghold for us.
God, help us to know and remember your name, all the wonder of your name, Jesus, the one whose name means you save us from our sins. The Lord, the Lord, the gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and mercy. We know your name and we put our trust in you today. We don’t want to live with trust in ourselves or in anyone or anything else in this world. All of our trust is in you. Help us to trust you with all of our heart, knowing that, as we seek you, you will not forsake us.
Praying for the Jola-Mlomp People
Oh God, we want all people in the world to know you in this way. We pray for the Jola-Mlomp people of Senegal, this small people group with small number of followers of Jesus. God, for those followers of Jesus, especially as they may experience challenges in their faith and challenges in sharing their faith, God, we pray that they would know you are their stronghold in times of trouble, that they would put their trust in you and seek you.
We pray that you would strengthen our brothers and sisters among the Jola-Mlomp people of Senegal and that you would cause the gospel to spread the good news of your grace, your strength in times of trouble, your hope, your joy, your eternal life that is possible in Jesus. We pray for the spread of this gospel among the Jola-Mlomp people of Senegal, that they might know your name and put their trust in you.
God, we pray that for thousands of people groups and billions of people right now who don’t know your name and don’t know the truth about who you are. May they know your name and put their trust in you. Use our lives to spread the good news of Psalm 9:9–10, we pray in Jesus’ name. 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.
