¹⁰And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

“I will give … I will tell … I will be glad … I will sing …” David is a man of determination and action. For him, the spiritual life is not passive contemplation, trying to work up an esoteric, mystical experience. Worship and praise are responses to God for what He has done and what He will do, and they often are mixed in with dire circumstances and overwhelming feelings. David’s lament reflects the depth of his soul pouring out to God. This lament is evident in the psalm; there is no other way of understanding his words:

Be gracious to me, O Lord; see my affliction from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death … (Ps. 9:13)

However, the tone of this psalm of lament is overwhelmingly positive, alternating with praise and recollection of God’s actions in the past. Through it all, David expresses his trust in the Lord. He begins by proclaiming what he will do in anticipation of God acting again, answering his need. Rescue is a done deal, as it were, and in faith, David rejoices over God’s character.

As for his predicament, David’s enemies will “turn back … stumble … perish … come to an end” (Ps. 9:3, 6). Therefore, David erupts into praise that God has “maintained my just cause … sat on the throne … rebuked the nations … destroyed the wicked … blotted out their name” (Ps. 9:4-5). His lament, while the cause of his writing this psalm, doesn’t come until verse 13, for his praise for the Lord simply cannot wait!

While life can be overwhelming—and from a human perspective, our experiences form the context in which we function in this world—God is the divine invader, the overriding “but” that anchors us from being blown entirely off course. The truth is this: “But the Lord abides forever” (Ps. 9:7). Our anchor is in God. Our faith enables us to understand that the physical world and our earthly life are not all that there is. Faith enables us to see reality in the divine context. And that changes everything!

David expresses that the ability to trust the Lord does not come from some inner quality of the individual but is an enablement that comes instinctively and inherently to “those who know [His] name” (Ps. 9:10). Notice the term, Lord, displayed in our text in small caps; that is God’s personal name, Yahweh. His name conveys that He responds to us according to His character, to be actively present (the “I Am”) in our lives to meet our needs (Ex. 3:14-15). Those who know God find trusting Him possible and know that He has not abandoned them (see Heb. 13:5). As David exclaims, “The Lord has made Himself known.”

So David models for us that during difficult times, we can “[s]ing praises to the Lord,” “tell of [His] praise,” “rejoice in [His] salvation.” David’s attention is on God, and his confident trust in Him enables him to see clearly that his enemies will fall when their efforts against him rebound to destroy them (Ps. 9:15). So while this psalm is a lament, it is also a song of trust and praise.

Lord, do not let those who oppress me prevail; judge them, put the fear of God in them, and let all know that You act righteously.