Psalm 86: Gracious

Psalm 86 contains several surprises. First, or the first time since Psalm 70, David is attributed as the author. The psalm is labeled as a lament, and David does refer to enemies that had risen against him, “ruthless men” that sought his life, but there is no sound of fear. He acknowledges himself as “poor and needy” but there was no self-pity or despair in his voice. While the psalm is labeled as a lament, its tone, its fabric is of confidence in God, that while trouble was near, God was and would always be gracious.

It is often said that “perspective is everything”, meaning that how we view things will determine not so much the outcome of our circumstances, but how we respond and who we will choose to be. I forget too often that my responses reflect my character, my actions reveal my beliefs and my words tell the truth about my heart. As I read Psalm 86, I am struck by the fact that we have a choice to make as to which lens we view life through, our difficulty or God’s goodness.

David began the psalm by expressing the frailty of his condition and his confidence in God’s character. “I am poor and needy . . . Be gracious to me . . .” God never desires us to be dishonest. That may sound obvious, but how often do we tell God less than the truth? We tend to put on a brave face, to try to soften our edges, to carefully choose our words and practice positive confession, yet David told us earlier, in Psalm 51:6 that God delights “in truth in the inward being”. God does not just know what He is doing, He does not just know what is happening or even what is going to happen, He knows us. He knows our panic and our fear, our anxiety, and our worry, He knows when we feel like we are falling apart so it is not necessary for us to try to convince ourselves that we can hold it all together.

In this psalm, David used the name Adonai (Lord) for God seven times, more than any other name. While we translate “Adonai” as “Lord”, it means “Sovereign or Master”. David used this name not to appeal to God’s power but to show his confidence in His character. This was not the prayer of panicked last resort; it was a prayer of assured peace. David did not hide the fact that his life was difficult, that his future was uncertain, but He knew fully who God was. He was looking at his difficulty through the lens of God’s goodness. 

He made this request, “be gracious to me, O Lord.” The Hebrew word translated as “gracious” is “chanan”, its literal meaning is “to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior”. David understood that God was more than just in control, God was with him and God was for him because it was in God’s character to stoop in kindness toward him. His enemies were real, his trouble was great, his emotions were strong, but he knew that God was gracious. David was not trying to convince himself that everything would work out, he was reminding himself that he was in God’s hands.

The psalm continued with reminders of God’s character, that He “is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all”. That no other gods compare to Him and all the nations will one day come and worship Him, that He is great and does wondrous things. As the end of the psalm approaches David wrote “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Before David made his final request of the psalm, he reminded himself of the character of the God He was praying to. May I ask you today, have you reminded yourself of God’s character today? That lens we look through, our difficulty or God’s goodness, is also the posture we pray from. Are we pleading with God from our difficulty or are we sitting with God in His grace? Are we trying to convince Him to move for us or are we reminding ourselves that He has already and always stopped down to us? Are we overwhelmed by how hard this is or how good God is? The lens we look at life through is the lens we pray to God from.

David prayed, “Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant”. David’s life was uncertain, some would argue it may have been in ruins, but his heart was settled. He did not deny his trouble or ignore his pain, but he made the decision and it is always a decision, to concentrate on God’s character. So I ask you today, in the midst of all that you are facing, in the middle of questions that cannot be answered and trouble that you cannot solve, are you sure of God’s goodness and are you confident in His love? For the second time in the psalm David asked God to stoop down to him in kindness and to give him His strength. There is something about remembering that God is near that fills us with His strength. I may not know the details of your situation today, but I am sure of the character of God. I do not know how things will turn out but I do know what God desires to do, it is His heart to be gracious and it is His desire to bend down and give you kindness and in that kindness to quiet you with His love and to fill you with His strength. Are we willing to change the lens we live and pray from? He has stooped down to us are we ready to reach out to Him?