Psalms 86:1 - Meaning and Application

This psalm is marked as a prayer of David. That does not mean David sang only prayers, but that he often wove prayer into his songs. A psalm can express any holy feeling, and this one is very plain in style. It has fewer poetic flourishes than many other psalms, because showy language is not the right ornament for prayer.

We can first notice the requests David makes to God. Prayer may sometimes teach, but its main purpose is to speak to God. That is why this psalm is so direct: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:4). In every part of prayer, the soul should rise toward God by faith and holy desire, ready to receive his grace and to expect great things from him.

He first asks God to listen to him: “Bow down your ear, O Lord, hear me” (Psalm 86:1). When God hears prayer, Scripture speaks of him bowing down his ear, because it is a great act of kindness that he notices such small creatures and such weak prayers. David repeats the plea in another form, asking for a favorable ear, even if his prayer is whispered or broken. God does not need our words to stir his heart, but we must still show our desire for his favor. Jesus, the Son of David, spoke with full confidence when he said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me” (John 11:41-42).

David also asks for God’s special protection: “Preserve my soul; save your servant” (Psalm 86:2). It was David’s soul that served God, for only those who serve God with their spirits serve him truly. If this means his natural life, it teaches us that the best way to keep ourselves safe is to place ourselves in God’s care. If it means his spiritual life, then he is asking God to keep him from sin, the great danger to the soul. All whom God saves, he also preserves, and he keeps them for his heavenly kingdom.

He next asks for mercy: “Be merciful to me, O Lord” (Psalm 86:3). God’s mercy includes both forgiving sin and helping us in trouble. David owns that people may show no mercy, and that he himself deserves none, so he asks for mercy only for mercy’s sake. He also asks for inward joy: “Rejoice the soul of your servant” (Psalm 86:4). Only God can put gladness into the heart and give true joy. Those who serve God are called to serve him with gladness, and they also have the gift of joy and peace through faith. David connects this request with his communion with God, saying, “To you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:4). Comfort from God is most often found where communion with God is kept alive. Prayer is the nurse of spiritual joy.

David then gives reasons for these requests. He pleads his relationship to God: “You are my God,” and, “I am your servant” (Psalm 86:2). Because he belongs to God and depends on him, he looks to God for protection. He also pleads his need: “Hear me, for I am poor and needy.” Since he is in distress and has nothing to rely on, he asks God for help. God is the King of the poor, and it is his glory to save needy souls. Those who know their spiritual poverty are welcome to the God of all grace.

He also pleads God’s character: “For you, Lord, are good” (Psalm 86:5). Where else should beggars go except to the door of a kind master? God’s goodness is a strong reason to pray to him. That goodness shows itself in two ways, he gives and he forgives. He is a God who pardons sin, not only able to forgive, but ready to forgive. He is also abundant in mercy, full and generous toward all who call on him. He has enough to supply every need, and he gives with an open hand.

David further pleads God’s work in him, which had fitted him for God’s favor. He sees three works of grace in himself. First, there is conformity to God, which he speaks of as holiness: “I am holy, preserve my soul” (Psalm 86:2). This is not pride, but humble thanks to God. He means, “I am one whom you have set apart for yourself.” If God has begun a good work of grace in us, we should remember that this was a time of love. David is both needy and holy, poor in the world and rich in faith. Those who keep their purity in deep poverty may be sure that God will keep both their comforts and their souls.

Second, he pleads his trust in God: “Save your servant who trusts in you” (Psalm 86:2). Even holy people must not trust in themselves or in their own right standing with God, but only in God and his grace. Those who trust in God may expect salvation from him.

Third, he pleads his habit of prayer and fellowship with God. He hopes God will answer him because God has already moved him to pray. “I cry to you daily” and “all day” (Psalm 86:3) show that he was steady in prayer. We are told to pray always, without stopping, and to keep at it. Then, when trouble comes, we may hope our prayers will be heard, if we have been faithful in prayer at other times too. It is a comfort when affliction finds prayer already in motion, rather than having to start it from nothing. David also says he lifts up his soul to God (Psalm 86:4). When we send our hearts out toward God in prayer, we may hope that he will meet us with his mercies.

David was especially earnest in prayer when he was in trouble (Psalm 86:7). “In the day of my trouble, whatever others do, I will call on you and commit my case to you, because you will hear and answer me.” He was sure he would not pray in vain, unlike those who cried, “O Baal, hear us,” but received no answer at all (1 Kings 18:29).