The Psalms present not a contradiction, but a tension to which an honest, living faith can hardly fail to bear witness. Precisely because the psalmist believes that he has good reason to thank God in terms of his past experience, he is thrown into turmoil by the strange absence of God from his present life. Precisely because he believes that God must be a righteous judge, he is deeply distressed by the apparent prosperity of the wicked who challenge everything that God holds dear. Confidence and Perplexity go hand in hand.
Robert Davidson
Psalm 9 & 10 are opposite sides of the same coin. It is easy for us to separate the two because of their contrasting viewpoints, but they were most likely written as one psalm. In the original Hebrew, Psalm 9 & 10 form an acrostic poem in which each line begins with sequential letters from the alphabet. Together they form an interesting combination of lament & praise, or as Robert Davidson puts it, confidence & perplexity. How can we worship God when things are going miserably? Or as Psalm 137 reads..."How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?"
9/11 shook America to its core. People gathered at churches, temples and synagogues in record numbers and we were caught off guard. Not because we didn't invite people in, but because we had no songs to sing. We have forgotten how to lament (at least in the Christian/Evangelical world). Or maybe we were never taught. Psalm 9 & 10 teach us to worship God in the good and bad. I have written these songs through Christian lenses and believe we are called to hold the cross and resurrection in the same hand.
009 I Worship You
My enemies turn back, they vanish before you
For you have heard my cry and you have brought me through
You are the righteous judge, forever will you reign
You never close the door on those who know your name
I worship you with all my life
I worship you with all my heart
I worship you with all my strength, I worship you
I worship you with every breath
I worship you with all my days
I worship you with everything, I worship you
O Lord, I need you now, have mercy on my soul
That I may sing your praise, that I may be made whole
When all the world forgets and we are left alone
You are the only hope that we have ever known
I worship you with all my life
I worship you with all my heart
I worship you with all my strength, I worship you
I worship you with every breath
I worship you with all my days
I worship you with everything, I worship you
Copyright 2005, Parson John Publishing (ASCAP), by Brian Moss
010 You Are The Only Hope
You knew this day would come and still it came to pass
You saw the city burn, you heard the deadly blast
Before the darkest hour when all the skies bled grey, you were there
The enemy is real and seeking to destroy
He's waiting in the dark, his evil to employ
The innocent he takes as prisoners of the war, and they will bleed
I know that you can save, I know your love remains
You are the only hope that we have known
You are the only hope to roll away the stone
You are my God and King, you are the truth revealed
You comfort the oppressed, you answer the appeal
You take the orphans in and claim them as your own, as your own
I know that you can save, I know your love remains
You are the only hope that we have known
You are the only hope to roll away the stoneI worship you with all my life
I worship you with all my heart
I worship you with all my strength, I worship you
Copyright 2005, Parson John Publishing (ASCAP), by Brian Moss
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