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Psalms 86

Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.

Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.

In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.

For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.

Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Psalms 86

Psalm 86 is a individual prayer combining petition for protection with confession of God's unique majesty and compassion, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 3. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.

Psalms 86:1

Psalm 86 opens with an urgent prayer for divine attention: "Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." The request for God to incline an ear emphasizes the need for God to listen carefully and respond. The self-description as poor and needy establishes the supplicant's vulnerability and utter dependence on God's mercy.

Psalms 86:2

The prayer continues: "Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you." The assertion of devotion and trust becomes the ground for the prayer: the supplicant has been faithful to God and therefore appeals to God's reciprocal commitment. The self-description as "your servant" emphasizes the relationship of dependence.

Psalms 86:3

The appeal deepens: "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I call upon you all day long." The continuous petition (all day long) emphasizes the perseverance and intensity of the prayer. The request for mercy acknowledges that the supplicant has no claim on God's justice but only on God's compassion.

Psalms 86:4

The emotional dimension is expressed: "Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul." The lifting of the soul to God suggests vulnerability and openness; the petition for gladness requests that God transform the emotional state of the supplic ant from distress to joy.

Psalms 86:5

God's character is affirmed: "For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, being ready to forgive." The divine attributes of goodness and readiness to forgive become the foundation for hope; the supplicant's prayer rests on confidence in God's merciful character.

Psalms 86:6

God's attention is requested: "Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication." The double request for divine attention (give ear, listen) emphasizes the urgency and importance of the prayer. The distinction between prayer and supplication suggests both formal petition and urgent cry.

Psalms 86:7

A reason is offered: "In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you will answer me." The supplicant brings troubles to God with confidence that God will respond. The assurance of an answer precedes the petition, suggesting faith despite present distress.

Psalms 86:8

God's uniqueness is affirmed: "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours." The assertion that God is incomparable establishes the basis for trust: if no other being or power equals God, then God's capacity to help is unrivaled.

Psalms 86:9

Universal worship is envisioned: "All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name." The eschatological vision of all nations worshipping the God of Israel expresses confidence that God's sovereignty extends to all creation. This universalizing impulse suggests that the individual's trust is grounded in cosmic confidence.

Psalms 86:10

God's unique power is restated: "For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God." The combination of greatness and wondrous deeds establishes God's unquestionable supremacy. The exclusive statement "you alone are God" affirms monotheistic conviction.

Psalms 86:11

A personal petition: "Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name." The supplicant requests not merely external rescue but internal transformation: instruction in God's way, unified devotion, and awe of God's name. The undivided heart suggests wholeness and integrity of purpose.

Psalms 86:12

Gratitude is promised: "I give you thanks, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever." The commitment to perpetual thanksgiving and glorification becomes the response to divine instruction. The "whole heart" matches the earlier petition for undivided devotion.

Psalms 86:13

God's commitment is affirmed: "For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol." The hesed (steadfast love, covenant loyalty) of God becomes ground for gratitude. The liberation from the depths of Sheol (death/the underworld) represents deliverance from ultimate peril.

Psalms 86:14

A final petition acknowledges enemies: "O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them." The enemies are characterized by insolence and disregard for God; their violence against the supplicant is ultimately violence against God's servant. Their failure to acknowledge God becomes the foundation for expecting God's judgment against them.

Psalms 86:15

God's character is recalled: "But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." The recitation of God's merciful, gracious, patient, and faithful character becomes the final ground for hope. This description echoes the formula of God's self-revelation in Exodus 34.

Psalms 86:16

A final request for a sign: "Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the child of your maidservant." The petition for God to turn toward the supplicant becomes a request for visible manifestation of favor. The phrase "child of your maidservant" emphasizes familial covenantal relationship.

Psalms 86:17

The prayer concludes with promise of witness: "Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because you, LORD, have helped and comforted me." The request for a sign becomes not merely personal reassurance but public testimony: the enemies' witnessing of God's favor becomes evidence of God's commitment to the supplicant.