Ps. 9 – The mom I want to be

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Ps. 9 describes the type of mother I want to be.

Listen to David’s heart and how he presses into God at every turn.

“¹ I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
² I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.” 

In these verses David worships God and tells others about what God is doing in his own life. This is the heart of worship, evangelism, discipleship.

This is big deal. Because David says God’s presence brings life for those who believe and death for those who don’t (Ps. 9:3-6). I want to be purposeful to lead my children into God’s presence – guiding them to belief with my words.

“But the Lord shall endure forever;
He has prepared His throne for judgment.
⁸ He shall judge the world in righteousness,
And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

⁹ The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

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• God is calm & collected in discipline (7-8).

At first glance, these verses don’t sound very positive, do they? That’s because the word ‘judgment’ can make us squirm in our seats a little. But God’s judgment occurs out of his holy character. He is not a crazed vengeful God waving his hands around; He administers justice out of his uprightness (vs. 8).

I want to be a mom who is calm and collected in discipline. But oh boy, most often, my attitude and actions are not conditioned by such temperance. I fly off the handle. I’m easily angered. I use hard words. And when I do so, I am not mirroring the justice of God. I’m mirroring the blackness of my own heart

• God is a sweet Refuge (9-10).

My kids enjoy video games and McDonald happy meals. They are certainly not among the world’s oppressed. But there are those in the world who are. If we want our children to grow up to attempt great peacemaking activities they must first see their moms being peacemakers.

Reaching out to those in need around us, championing causes that afflict our communities, soothing trouble and discord among friends – that is being a refuge. I want to make my home a safe place that points all who enter to the presence of the One who is our Refuge and help in times of trouble.

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“Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.
¹² When He avenges blood, He remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the humble.

¹³ Have mercy on me, O Lord!
Consider my trouble from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
¹⁴ That I may tell of all Your praise
In the gates of the daughter of Zion.
I will rejoice in Your salvation.

¹⁵ The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
¹⁶ The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

¹⁷ The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.
¹⁸ For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.

¹⁹ Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.
²⁰ Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah”

I cannot expect to my kids to press into God’s as a Refuge in prayer if I am not seeking refuge in Him in prayer.

David’s prayers in this passage take a few different forms:

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• prayers of humble praise (12)
• prayers of confession (13-14)
• prayers for the nations (15-20)

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How can a mom lead her children in those same patterns of godly prayer?

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• Let each person thank God with one note of praise at mealtimes.
• Pray for one person who is causing trouble at school.
• Have each child pick one person they hope to share Christ with and pray for them.
• Pray for those who despise God and those who feel forgotten by him.
• Have each child mention one problem or concern and pray with them about it.
• Pray for God to move in the world – drawing all people to him. Pick a different nation at each meal or each day.

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I don’t want to be Super Mom, because even superheroes have weaknesses. And this mom has lots of them. David sums up this idea pretty well when he says, we are “but men” (20).

But our Refuge and Help gives renews our strength each day as we – as mothers – spend time in his presence.

When we hide ourselves in his presence, he guides our mouths and actions. The result? Others are drawn to him – most importantly, our children.

How do you draw your children into God’s presence? Do you pray with your children? What do your prayers focus on?

Be sure to click here to view the other posts in this Psalms series!