Sweet Sisters:
Whenever I pick up my Bible and I don’t have a particular passage in mind, but I feel a strong need to be “in the Word”, it seems like I always end up in the Book of Psalms. No matter what emotion I am experiencing or what drama I am dealing with, as I scroll through the book of Psalms, I somehow always am drawn to the one that fits exactly what I need in that moment.
Today I would like to share with you Psalm 86:
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11
Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
As I read Psalm 86, I get the feeling that this Psalm was written by someone who had an intimate relationship with God. He knows that without God, he has nothing. He also knows that God will provide everything he needs.
As I read verses 1 – 4, I found myself substituting the word “because” in place of the word “for”. For instance, in verse 1 I read, “Hear me, Lord, and answer me because I am poor and needy.” “Because” doesn’t change the meaning, but it seemed to “speak” to me more.
By the way, different translations use a little different wording. The Easy to Read Version uses the word “so”. When you study out of several different translations, it can give you different ways to look at a verse.
The Psalmist tells us in verse three that he “calls on his God all day long.” He doesn’t call on Him now and then, but he is constantly reaching out to God. It reminds me of my granddaughter who is constantly texting her friends. Every day hundreds of text messages pass between them.
As I read verse 7, I sense that the Psalmist knows that in times of trouble he can call on God because God has answered him in the past and he is trusting Him to answer him again.
I think we should all write verse ten on an index card and hang it where we see it all the time.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
We need to constantly remind ourselves that our God is great and that He alone can do marvelous things.
I have a question for you. In verse eleven the Psalmist says, “Teach me your way, Lord,” and “give me an undivided heart.” How does God do this?
When I was newly married, I wanted to learn how to make apple pies. I asked my older, experienced friend to teach me. She invited me to her house. She had a huge apple tree that was ready to pick. We began by picking apples and preparing them to go into the pie. She then taught me to make the pie crust (don’t mess with it too much. It can be ugly and still taste good.). By the end of the day, we had a dozen pies ready to go in the freezer and brought out to be baked when needed.
I think what the Psalmist is saying here is “God, I am willing to learn. I need your help. Please show me what I need to do.”
When he talks about having an “undivided heart”, I wonder if he is saying, “Lord, open my eyes to the things around me that distract me from being fully yours.” Am I willing to do whatever it takes to be what God wants me to be?
Verses sixteen and seventeen are a little easier to understand in the Easy to Read Version.
16 Show that you hear me and be kind to me.
I am your servant, so give me strength.
I am your slave, as my mother was, so save me!
17 Lord, show me a sign that you care for me.
My enemies will see it and be disappointed,
because you helped and comforted me.
Sweet Sisters, God does not have a problem with us asking Him for a sign, especially if we are wanting to show those around us that He is active in our lives. I have found it to be a pretty awesome experience to ask God to respond in such a way in a particular situation that those around me can’t help but see His Handiwork.
My daughter, Lydia, may question whether or not God works in her life, but I guarantee you that she knows He works in mine. She has actually said to me, “God always listens to you.”
I’m going to bring this study to a close with two questions I want you to answer on your own:
1. What does Psalm 86 teach us about God?
2. What does Psalm 86 teach me about who I am?
Debbie