He would need help, not complaints or arguments.”
–Louis L’Amour (Conagher)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
–Psalm 46:1 (NKJV)
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Psalm 86, and we see that David is having another one of his “episodes.” He is concerned over his plight as his enemies are after him. David many times seems to be down in the mully-grubs of life, but at least he had sense enough to recognize that the Lord was his refuge. Read these words of David, maybe even read them aloud. When I read them I think Spurgeon might have said it best, “The best of men need mercy and appeal to mercy, yea to nothing else but mercy.” David needs God, longs for God.
1 — Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me; for I am poor and needy.
2 — Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You!
3 — Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long.
4 — Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 — For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6 — Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 — In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.
8 — Among the gods, there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works.
9 — All nations whom 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. (NKJV)
When I first read this I question, David is poor and needy? But there may be more to what I see written. This may have been a time when he was running from Saul and hiding in the caves. Or it could have been when Absalom had taken over the throne and David had to flee. Perhaps David understood the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the poor in spirit and all that he really needs is God as Paul writes in Philippians. Max Anders writes, “Mercy is the deep heart feeling of benevolence that God has for his own, especially in their troubles.”
Verse 2 sees David crying out to God. He cries, “I am holy.” Understand that this means that David is separated unto the Lord, that he is devoted to God. It also indicates that he is faithful. He is not claiming that he is sinless, but that he is committed. He trusts in the Lord despite difficulties, troubles, battles, and attacks both physical and spiritual. In other words, he looks to God because he is faithful and he knows that God is faithful.
No matter what happens in his life, David proclaims that he will trust God. How simple a statement, yet how true–it is that simple trust that gets us through the difficulties of life. He knows that God is ready to forgive. He understands that happiness is in the Lord and serving HIm. When he falls, he will cry out knowing and trusting that God is there to help him. I like verse 7, “In the day of trouble,” or as the NLT puts it, “whenever trouble strikes,” God will be there to answer me. We always have hope and we should never lose trust. The great preacher F.B. Meyer wrote, “You have fallen a hundred times and are ashamed to come to God again; it seems too much to expect that He will receive you again. But He will, for He is ready to forgive.” If you find yourself in the situation that Meyer is speaking of raise your voice to God, lift up your head, and trust in Him
One further note, David is not being repetitive by using “Lord” over and over again. Notice that sometimes the word is capitalized, that is Yahweh. When lower case it is Adonai, meaning “master” or “lord.” David understands his position before God.
“O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.”
–Frances R. Havergal
——————————————-
Psalm 86, and we see that David is having another one of his “episodes.” He is concerned over his plight as his enemies are after him. David many times seems to be down in the mully-grubs of life, but at least he had sense enough to recognize that the Lord was his refuge. Read these words of David, maybe even read them aloud. When I read them I think Spurgeon might have said it best, “The best of men need mercy and appeal to mercy, yea to nothing else but mercy.” David needs God, longs for God.
1 — Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me; for I am poor and needy.
2 — Preserve my life, for I am holy; You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You!
3 — Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to You all day long.
4 — Rejoice the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 — For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
6 — Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 — In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.
8 — Among the gods, there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works.
9 — All nations whom 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. (NKJV)
When I first read this I question, David is poor and needy? But there may be more to what I see written. This may have been a time when he was running from Saul and hiding in the caves. Or it could have been when Absalom had taken over the throne and David had to flee. Perhaps David understood the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the poor in spirit and all that he really needs is God as Paul writes in Philippians. Max Anders writes, “Mercy is the deep heart feeling of benevolence that God has for his own, especially in their troubles.”
Verse 2 sees David crying out to God. He cries, “I am holy.” Understand that this means that David is separated unto the Lord, that he is devoted to God. It also indicates that he is faithful. He is not claiming that he is sinless, but that he is committed. He trusts in the Lord despite difficulties, troubles, battles, and attacks both physical and spiritual. In other words, he looks to God because he is faithful and he knows that God is faithful.
No matter what happens in his life, David proclaims that he will trust God. How simple a statement, yet how true–it is that simple trust that gets us through the difficulties of life. He knows that God is ready to forgive. He understands that happiness is in the Lord and serving HIm. When he falls, he will cry out knowing and trusting that God is there to help him. I like verse 7, “In the day of trouble,” or as the NLT puts it, “whenever trouble strikes,” God will be there to answer me. We always have hope and we should never lose trust. The great preacher F.B. Meyer wrote, “You have fallen a hundred times and are ashamed to come to God again; it seems too much to expect that He will receive you again. But He will, for He is ready to forgive.” If you find yourself in the situation that Meyer is speaking of raise your voice to God, lift up your head, and trust in Him
One further note, David is not being repetitive by using “Lord” over and over again. Notice that sometimes the word is capitalized, that is Yahweh. When lower case it is Adonai, meaning “master” or “lord.” David understands his position before God.
“O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.”
–Frances R. Havergal