44B*
A Call to Worship
After Pentecost 5B [Ordinary 12B] or [Proper 7B] 2018
Psalm 9: 9-20

We come to worship our God, because we can always trust in our God!
“…The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble…”

We come to praise our God, because we know God to always be merciful.
“…LORD, have mercy on me … Save me so I can praise you publicly…”

We come to honour our God, because we have experienced God’s care
and compassion; and know that God is worthy of all honours and praises.
“…O LORD…those who know your name trust in you…for you do not ignore
the cries of those who suffer…” or “…abandon those who search for you…”
“…Sing praises to the LORD… Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds…” Amen.

---

Psalm 9: 9-20
For the choir director:
A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Death of the Son.”

9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem.
Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.
13 LORD, have mercy on me. See how my enemies torment me.
Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
16 The LORD is known for his justice.
The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.
Quiet Interlude

17 The wicked will go down to the grave.
This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
18 But the needy will not be ignored forever;
the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
19 Arise, O LORD! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Judge the nations!
20 Make them tremble in fear, O LORD.
Let the nations know they are merely human.

---

Prayers of Praise and Petition
After Pentecost 5B [Ordinary 12B] or [Proper 7B] 2018
Psalm 9: 9-20

Trustworthy God: we come to worship our God, because we can always trust in our
God! We have had a lifetime’s experience of taking our prayers, hopes and dreams
to God, knowing that God hears and understands our needs – even if the answers to
our prayers are not what we hoped or expected. We also praise our Listening God that
we have always been able to share our concerns with God for our troubled world; for
individuals or communities under stress from disaster; and for situations of oppression,
injustice and inequality - secure in the knowledge that “…The LORD is a shelter for the
oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble…” Hear our prayers for people in any trouble.

Merciful God: we come to praise our God, because we know God to always be merciful.
We have had a lifetime’s experience of taking our prayers and praises to God; and to
giving thanks to God for past and present blessings. We praise our God that we need not
hesitate to take our concerns to God, especially when they are personal concerns that
affect our loved ones. How many times have we prayed: “…LORD, have mercy on me…”?
and known that God’s grace and mercy wraps around us like a warm blanket, giving us
hope and a sense of secure balance, when everything around us seems out of balance!
We ask God to hear our prayers today for people in need of God’s mercy and healing.

Compassionate and Caring God: we come to honour our God, because we have had a
lifetime’s experience of taking our prayers to God – the Holy One - who is worthy of all
honours and praises. Today we rejoice that even our most feeble efforts of praising God
is accepted by God; and that our shared praises are especially acceptable. We pray for
people who do not know God, and who choose to totally ignore God’s presence within
and around them; and who choose to lead a life which they think is completely beyond
God’s influence. Yet despite this, they have an unfilled longing within them that they do
not recognise as an inner yearning for God. We praise and thank our God that you do not
“…abandon those who search for you…”; or that you “…do not ignore the cries of those
who suffer…” Hear our prayers today for people who have rejected God, and may God
continue to bless and love them; and to compassionately care for them in their blindness. Amen.

---

A Personal Meditation
After Pentecost 5B [Ordinary 12B] or [Proper 7B] 2018
Psalm 9: 9-20

There are twin themes in this psalm that seem to alternate, depending on which verses
one reads, but the two themes are “oppression” and “thankfulness”! The author of the
psalm referred to an unknown source of oppression which had severely affected the
people of Israel. One definition of oppression is “The exercise of authority or power by
regimes or organisations where people are ruled or managed in unjust, restrictive and
cruel ways that prevent people from fulfilling their dreams or their freedom of opportunity;
and who may be oppressed mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually or economically.”
The psalmist sang to God: “…See how my enemies torment me...” The inevitable results
of such oppression are expressed thus: “…The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for
others. Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set…” But, the wheels of equity
and justice often grind very slowly, and many nations have long suffered such oppression.



Despite the people of Israel’s faith and trust in God, the reality of their situation cannot be
ignored as the psalm’s author highlighted their “times of trouble”, “oppression”, “suffering”,
“need”, and “torment”. Yet, in response to God’s faithfulness towards those chosen people
at that time in their life - their faithfulness to God was expressed through their faith in and
worship of God; and their utter trust in God’s compassionate and steadfast love for them.
We would not be human if we all at times did not also experience some or even all of those
times when we felt weighed down by issues that make life very difficult for us; but do we
honestly believe and trust that “…the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed…”?
Maybe we can only pray for the faith and trust that God will always be for us “…a shelter for
the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble…” and for the hope and will that we will always
“…praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvellous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High…”¹



The psalmist sang his praises thus: “…Those who know your name trust in you…” It is
worth remembering that to really and truly know someone can be a lifetime’s endeavour
and experience – especially when that “someone” is God! To “know” God is to go on an
endless and perpetual exploration of the Being and Nature of God; of God’s many graces,
mercies and blessedness; and into the many facets of God as Parent, Creator, Sustainer,
Liberator and countless other expressions of the reality of who actually is God’s-Own-Self!
We give thanks for the truth, grace and mercy of these words: “…for you, O LORD, do not
abandon those who search for you…” – as the “searching” is always part of the “knowing”.



1 Psalm 9: 1-2 (NLT)

---

Acknowledgements:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

*Revised Indexing Scheme from 'Consultation on Church Union' (COCU).

I acknowledge and give heartfelt thanks for the theological help and inspiration so frequently available from the writings of Professor Walter Brueggemann and Professorial brothers Rolf and Karl Jacobson; and the resources from "The Text this Week" (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditation are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2018 Joan Stott –‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Based on verses from Psalm 9.
Used with permission.

joanstott16@gmail.com
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

Download/view a pdf file of this document here: pentecost5[12]b_2018.pdf