Praying the Power, Faithfulness, and Love of God

We are in week three of looking at Psalm 86. We began this journey as a way to explore the idea of praying scripture. God gave Psalm 86 to me as a catalyst for my daily prayer time. We learned some background to Psalm 86 in week one, then we examined verses one through four last week.

Today, we will look more closely at Psalm 86:5-10. Last week I mentioned God taught me about being transparent with myself and Him as I prayed Psalms 86:1-4. In verses 5-10, God continually reveals Himself. He alone is God, and our source of enduring hope.

Psalms 86, Verses 5 through 10

“⁵You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. ⁶Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. ⁷In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. ⁸Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. ⁹All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, o Lord; they will bring glory to your name. ¹⁰For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

Psalm 86:5-10, NIV

Truth from Verse Five

The Basis of our Faith

In verse five of Psalm 86, I see the basis for our belief in God. He is the One who forgives us and loves us. In fact, I am reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness when they began to offer the sacrifices God directed. God taught them to center their entire life around the Tent of Meeting and living in His presence.

God is Kind

I normally read Psalm 86 in the CSB version; the editors of the CSB version use the word kind instead of good. After I’ve been transparent with God, I find knowing God is kind especially comforting. God reminds me He is tender toward me. If I need forgiveness, knowing He is kind encourages me to humble myself more readily.

A Forgiving God

A third thing I often notice in verse five is God is forgiving to ALL who call on Him. Every one of us needs forgiveness. We can’t escape our dependency on God. I often need to be reminded that everyone I know is in the same boat as me. Not one of us is better than the other.

God’s Khesed

Lastly, God often prompts me to focus on the phrase “abounding in love,” which some versions translate “faithful love.” When you look at the actual Hebrew word used, it is the word khesed. “Khesed, … is hard to translate into any language because it combines the ideas of love, generosity, and enduring commitment all into one. Khesed describes an act of promise-keeping loyalty that is motivated by deep personal care.” (bibleproject.com; Loyal Love video transcript)

God’s love for us is beyond our ability to comprehend. He is always committed to us. In addition, He tirelessly works to provide exactly what we need to live what He knows to be our best life. God generously keeps all His promises even when we fail to follow Him as we should.

I’ve discovered Psalm 86:5 can lead me to list out the ways God is good and kind to me or declare gratitude for His mercy. Holy Spirit often prompts me to ask for forgiveness, as well as ask God to help me better identify how He expresses His lovingkindness to me.

Truth from Verse Six

Yahweh

Psalm 86:6 begins with the Psalmist asking the LORD, Yahweh, to hear his prayer. The psalmist uses Yahweh here and in verse eleven. In the rest of the verses where we read the word Lord, he uses the word Adonay. Both terms reveal God to be the one who is superior and in control. However, when the psalmist uses Yahweh, he is referring to the name God gives Himself, the I AM, the One and Only Sovereign God. The psalmist is requesting that the Creator King listen to his plea.

God Bends Down

Photo by Precious Plastic Melbourne on Unsplash

This verse reminds us the One and Only listens to us and is available to us. Both The Passion Translation and the Message use the phrase “bend down” in conjunction with listening. The One and Only God bends down close to hear us, just as a father would bend close to listen to his child. Ponder the idea that the I AM comes close to hear what we want to say.

God uses verse six to remind me He is the I AM, and though He is the Sovereign King He chooses to listen to me. Sometimes, I struggle to believe such a powerful being would choose to bend down to listen to me. So, Holy Spirit leads me to ask God to help me know He hears me, and He is always faithful.

Truth from Verse Seven

We Can Call on God

In verse seven, I often pause at the phrase “in the day of my trouble I will call to you.” I am glad to unburden myself and express all I think I need. Just like the Psalmist, each of us can call on God when the day is difficult.

Trouble and Distress

The CSB version uses the phrase “the day of my distress.” I experience the word distress differently than I do the word trouble. I read the word trouble with a broad definition that encompasses most anything I find annoying. However, when I read the word distress, I edit out circumstances and concerns that seem frivolous.

In my editing process, I ask myself several questions. What is truly distressing me? Is this distress valid? Am I choosing to trust God or not? Am I grabbing for control instead of relinquishing to God? These questions keep me focused on growing my relationship with God. In addition, they keep me from treating God as if He were a genie waiting to fulfill my wishes.

God Listens, Therefore God Will Act

Too often, I want to skip verse six and jump straight into verse seven. However, verses six and seven work in tandem. Both verses express a similar thought. In our American culture we can listen and not feel obligated to do anything. To the Hebrew, the idea of listening always involved action.

If God hears, God will respond. In fact, God listens to our cries for mercy over and over and over. In addition, He offers grace, strength, wisdom, hope, peace, as well as His presence, over and over and over. We find the khesed the psalmist talked about in verse five in verses six and seven. Both verses encourage us to share our troubles and distress with God. Plus, they offer us an opportunity to be grateful we serve a God who truly hears us.

Truth in Verses Eight through Ten

I find it difficult to separate verses eight, nine, and ten. The psalmist leads us to see who God is in these three verses.

Among the gods, there is none like God
There are no works like what God does
He is creator of the nations
He is worthy of worship
He is great
He performs marvelous deeds or wonders
He alone is God; He is the only Elohim

The One and Only God

One of the first things I latch onto in these verses is the truth that God is the One and Only. In areas like sports, history, and the performing arts we talk about “the greats.” They are those who stand out in the crowd. We often can’t agree on who is the greatest, so we lump them together in one group called “the greats.”

God is above all. He is The Only One. He is greater than everyone, everything, any idea, and all successes. God blows “the greats” out of the competition.

A Future Hope

I also notice hope in verse nine. “All the nations…will come and worship…” Jesus told us the Kingdom of God was now here. However, we know we live in a Kingdom that isn’t yet fully realized. Someday, ALL nations will worship our LORD. We serve the Only One who is worthy. One day, we will live in the fullness of God’s Kingdom come to earth. Hallelujah!

God’s Marvelous Deeds

Lastly, Holy Spirit draws my attention to the truth that God does marvelous deeds. I know I often interpret that phrase to mean miracles, and He most certainly performs miracles. However, I wonder at times if I miss miracles because I’m expecting more fanfare.

I believe God performs marvelous deeds everyday that can easily be missed. Holy Spirit prompts me to identify those seemingly ordinary miracles. The beauty of a tree in full fall color. The array of colors in a sunrise or sunset. The assurance we feel when a family member or friend calls us just to chat. A bill paid without stress or concern for how it would be covered. Fresh bread. The ability to climb stairs, bend over, and/or lift above our heads. The aroma of coffee. And so much more.

The Psalmist prompts us in verses eight through ten to praise God for how He as been uniquely God in our day to day lives. Holy Spirit challenges me to identify how God has revealed Himself and how He has provided what I needed. These verses can lead us to express thanks for how God goes above and beyond, to plead for hope when life is overwhelming, and praise Him for His Majesty, Glory, and Otherness.

A Holy Conversation

Allow me to remind you I don’t pray all of these ideas every day. Instead, I listen for Holy Spirit’s specific leading. God and I are in a conversation, and I use Psalm 86 as a catalyst and a guide for that conversation. Praying scripture offers me direction and structure that is all anchored in who God is.

Today, Psalm 86:5-10 can enable each of us to remember truth. We need this Truth to remind us of who God is and enable us to manage our current circumstance with His help. Take a moment and ask Holy Spirit which truths from this passage of scripture does He want you to confidently know. Begin your conversation with the One and Only Sovereign King.

Praying Scripture Photo by Yuri Efremov on Unsplash