Turn your ear ⌊toward me⌋, O Lord. Answer me, because I am oppressed and needy. Protect me, because I am faithful ⌊to you⌋. Save your servant who trusts you. You are my God.
Have pity on me, O Lord, because I call out to you all day long. Give me joy, O Lord, because I lift my soul to you. [vss 1-4]
You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, full of mercy toward everyone who calls out to you.
Open your ears to my prayer, O Lord. Pay attention when I plead for mercy. When I am in trouble, I call out to you because you answer me.
No god is like you, O Lord. No one can do what you do.
All the nations that you have made will bow in your presence, O Lord. They will honor you. Indeed, you are great, a worker of miracles. You alone are God. [vss 5-10]
Teach me your way, O Lord, so that I may live in your truth. Focus my heart on fearing you.
I will give thanks to you with all my heart, O Lord my God. I will honor you forever because your mercy toward me is great. You have rescued me from the depths of hell.
O God, arrogant people attack me, and a mob of ruthless people seeks my life. They think nothing of you.
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient, always faithful and ready to forgive.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me. Give me your strength because I am your servant. Save me because I am the son of your female servant.
Grant me some proof of your goodness so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame. You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me. [vss 11-17]
A prayer by David. (Psalms 86:1-17 GW)
It's been said the most common prayer is summed up in one word. "Help!" Indeed, many of King David's psalms are poetic prayers of help.
He was slandered and chased by King Saul and later by his son Absalom. At other times, it was a call for deliverance from situations he brought on himself.
All throughout the psalms, all throughout David's life, he never lost sight of God. He knew God in a personal and intimate way. He understood God's greatness and nearness.
Look at David's proclamations to the Lord— "You, O Lord, are good and forgiving... No god is like you, O Lord ... You alone are God... But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God. You are patient, always faithful and ready to forgive. " (vss 5, 8, 10, 15)
David's pleas for help include a sense of confidence that God not only hears but will answer him. He also acknowledges his own need for drawing closer to the Lord and learning His ways.
This psalm is an honest prayer of David's heart. It's not intended to be instructional and yet it is by example.
If you read through this psalm and reflect on King David's personal heart dialog with the Lord, you can gain some great insights to dynamic, interactive prayer.
Have you grown close enough in your relationship with God to pray in an honest yet confident way?
Read through this psalm several times in different Bible versions and hear King David's confident heart cry to God.
©Word-Strong_2017
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I won't cover all 150 Psalms, but do selective devotionals through the rest of Psalms.
So if I skip one that you like... let me know and I'll try to cover it!
