Psalm 9 Prayer

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.

The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.

He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.

For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.

The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.

Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal. 

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

(from Psalm 9 NIV)

God, we give thanks and rejoice in you, our strong God.  We pray against the "nations" of this world that seek to muzzle, stifle, or silence your people.  We pray against those whose systems of law, economics, or society create an environment for persecution against your Church.  We pray in Jesus's name that these "nations" would fall into the pit they have dug, be ensnared in the net they have hidden, and go down to the realm of the dead when they forget You. But we pray for the needy, the afflicted, the marginalized, the downtrodden - all those who Jesus would want us to love and serve.  And we pray for our enemies, that you would change their hard, stony hearts to hearts of love alone and they would repent of their wickedness and turn to you for salvation and Abundant Life.  In Jesus's name we pray, Amen.