Psalm 86

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me; for I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I cry all day long. Make glad the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me. There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, and a band of violent men have sought my life, and they have not set You before them. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaid. Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.^[1]

What a marvelous blessing knowing that when we pray God hears and answers our prayer, especially in the time of trouble. The psalmist writes: “In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me.” Times of trouble are generally the occasions when most people call upon the Lord and still He is so loving that He answers. We can glory in the knowledge that the God we serve does great and wondrous things, but why do we confine them to answers to our desperate pleas? Should we not offer unto Him prayers of thanksgiving for the marvelous things He has already done, for the things we tend to take for granted?

Perhaps our challenge lays in not knowing or understanding God’s ways. Perhaps the psalmist could make the assertions he does because he had learned how God operates, what He loves and despises, and how He moves. He writes, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever.” Knowing who our God is and how He operates opens for us a plethora of God opportunities. It helps us to know just how great God’s loving kindness is toward us, and that knowledge causes us to glorify His name forever. It causes us to know that He is that One that saves, delivers, and redeems us; and, for that we can be eternally grateful.

O Lord, incline Your ear to us and hear our earnest plea. We are so thankful that you are merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth. Teach us Your way so that we can walk in Your truth and we will forever glorify Your name. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 86:1–17.