“THE PLEA OF A PSALMIST IN TROUBLE” PSALM 86:1-17

Psalm 86 is another marvelous psalm penned by King David.  In this petition of David, he is asking the Lord to preserve him from some particular trouble he is experiencing.  And like David, we need to really sense the Lord’s presence when facing some particular calamity.  We need to experience His presence every moment of our existence, and especially during the crisis moments of our existence.  It is indeed soothing to know that the Lord is always with His children as we struggle from day to day, for Hebrews 13:5b-6 says:  “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”  Yes, we will have troubles in this life; listen to another psalmist who encountered trouble as he writes: “O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave” (Psalm 88:1-3).

As we begin this psalm, we find David petitioning for the Lord to hear his prayer as he undergoes trouble (vv. 1-6).   His humble plea begins as follows: “Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.  Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.  Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily” (vv. 1-3).  Because of the Lord’s love and unusual kindness, we are confident that He will attend to our needy conditions.  We should be thankful that the Lord has an abundance of mercy to address our poor and wretched situations.  Isn’t the Lord good?  Yes, He is good all of the time!

Because of the Lord’s unusual greatness, David was confident that the Lord would answer his prayer (vv. 7-10).  He shows his unwavering reliance on the Lord as he states, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.  Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works” (vv. 7-8).

As a result of God’s deliverance, David was determined to walk in God’s truth and to praise God with an undivided heart (vv. 11-13).   David submissively declares “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (v. 11).   In verses 14-17, David closes this psalm by asking for God’s loving help in view of the calamity he was facing; and when he is delivered, others will recognize that God was responsible for his deliverance as he states in verse 17  “Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.”

May God Bless!