A Personal Journey with a Powerful Psalm of Lament and Faith
For over a year now, I have used Psalm 86 as my daily prayer guide. When I first began, I just used verses 5-12. At some point, I’m not sure when, I began to pray through the entire psalm.
Prayer is a Must
We all know that God’s Word tells us to pray. God the Father tells the Israelites in 2 Chronicles 7 and in Jeremiah 29 that if they pray, He will hear them. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “when you pray…” assuming those listening were already praying. In addition, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians to pray without ceasing.
The disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them to pray because they didn’t know how. Instead, they wanted to learn what their master prayed for or about. Jesus shared a simple prayer they could pray every day and align themselves with God’s Kingdom.
Praying Scripture
As I was growing up, I don’t remember others discussing the idea of praying scripture. My dad prayed in a very King James fashion with words like thee and thou. I also listened to other adults pray every Wednesday night at Prayer Meeting. They seemed to talk to God for a v-e-r-y long time!
Currently, you can find many books promoting and teaching about the idea of praying scripture. I believe praying scripture offers three benefits. First , when you pray scripture, you claim the promises of God. Second, you align yourself with God’s truth. Finally, you follow a framework that enables you to go beyond just listing out what you want God to do.
My Personal Prayer Scripture
According to my old journals, I started praying Psalm 86:5-12 on June 6, 2024. I can’t remember the exact reason, but I do recall asking God to give me a scripture that I could pray every day. As I read my journal entries, I gained a glimpse into my emotional state . I struggled with a desire for ideal circumstances. In addition, I wondered if I was seeking God wholeheartedly. I wrote often about the difficulty of parenting adult children that my friends were experiencing. God often reminded me to enjoy the journey, live dependent, and be holy.
I found Psalm 86 to reflect my varied emotions. The Psalmist wrote things like “answer me, for I am poor and needy.” “Have mercy on me.” “Bring joy to your servant.” “Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.” “You are great and do marvelous deeds.” “Teach me your ways.” “Give me an undivided heart.”
I still pray Psalm 86 every day. Some days I write out my prayers. Many days, I read the Psalm and just talk with God. I now find Psalm 86 a daily anchor in my prayer life, and I am eager to share how I use Psalm 86. For the next 4 weeks in my blog, I will take a section of Psalm 86 and discuss how it leads my daily prayer.
Psalm 86 Background
Before we dive into Psalm 86, I want to give you some background. Psalm 86 is an individual lament poem. The author was mourning, expressing sorrow or regret for some reason. Plus, he was lamenting alone; he didn’t create his poem for a corporate setting.
Authorship
David is traditionally considered the author of this psalm. However, we find the psalm in the third book or section of Psalms, where it would be the only Psalm written by David . Many commentaries state Psalm 86 is a compilation of verses drawn from different psalms. The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes writes, “…in its structure it is the same with those attributed to the Sons of Korah and was probably made during captivity. It is a very suitable prayer for a person laboring under affliction from persecution of calumny.”
Reason for Lament
Whoever wrote or constructed this psalm does not reveal what crisis he was facing. If you believe the psalm was written while the Israelites were in captivity, you could easily conclude that to be an understandable crisis. One commentary writer, who considered David to be the author, suggested Absalom’s rebellion to be the catalyst for the psalm (The Wisdom Literature and Psalms). However, in my own journey with Psalm 86, I found it easier to adapt the psalm to my personal struggle, since I didn’t know the exact dilemma the Psalmist was facing.
Focus on God’s Character
Regardless of the authorship and/or conflict the author was facing, the Psalmist repeatedly returns to God’s character. He mentions God’s forgiveness, goodness, love, uniqueness, and more. “The lines of this prayer express fervent faith that is based on God’s past goodness. Even the way this psalm was constructed –piecing together earlier passages – teaches this lesson.” (A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition)
A Prayer Journey
I don’t know if you already have a habit of praying scripture or if this is a new idea for you. I hope you’ll join me over the next four weeks as we explore Psalm 86 and my prayer journey. Take the challenge to read Psalm 86. If you are game, read it every day and allow God to meet you in your current need.
“You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5, NIV
Praying Scripture Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
