"A Prayer of David.
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name for ever.
13 For great is your steadfast love towards me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 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.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant,
and save the son of your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of your favour,
that those who hate me may see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me."
Psalm 86
This is a very personal Psalm, and very different in substance and emphasis from the previous note. It is a measure of the comprehensiveness of the Psalter that it should so substantially ring the changes in the themes with which it deals. Here, it is personal need that is in view. The first thing one becomes conscious of in reading it is the familiarity of the sentiments it expresses, and the language in which they are expressed. As Maclaren says, it is 'little more than a mosaic of quotations and familiar phrases of petition'. Two lessons emerge here at the outset: one is in the use of Scripture in the time of need and distress. What an immense practical value it is to have the Word of God in our hearts against a time of need - for strength and encouragement as well as for the provision of prayer-language in which to put our requests to God. The other point is that in using the language and words of others, the Psalmist is not simply copying or imitating, but rather sharing the experience of others in the communion of the saints which is itself a means of grace and encouragement (cf 'companion in tribulation' in Revelation 1:9). And simply to use words that have already been on previous occasions used in prayer - and answered! - is an expression of faith and confidence on the part of those who use them.
The Psalm divides into three stanzas: 1-5 give the Psalmist's petitions; 6-13 unfold the power and majesty of God; and 14-17, the Psalmist's predicament set against the background of Divine power.