Psalm 86
Under attack, and praying for rescue
I’m desperate for you
A prayer of David [1]
1Please listen to me, LORD. I need an answer.I’m desperate and need your help.
2Save my life, because I’m worth saving.
You are my God, and I trust you.
3Lord, have mercy on me.
I’ve been asking you for help all day.
4Make me happy, Lord.
I’m counting on you.
5You’re good, Lord, and forgiving.
You’re incredibly merciful
And eager to show mercy.
6Lord, please listen to me.
I’m praying to you. Please hear me.
7Whenever I get in trouble,
I’m always going to call on you,
For I know you’ll answer me.
The one and only God
8You are one of a kind, Lord.There are no gods like you
And no miracles like yours.
9People you made in every nation
Will bow to honor who you are.
10You are great.
And your work shows it.
You are the one and only God.
11LORD, teach me to follow your lead
And I will follow your truth.
Help me respect who you are.
12Then I’ll thank you with all my heart.
Lord God, I’ll never stop honoring you.
13You’ve shown me incredible kindness.
You’ve saved my life and kept me from the grave. [2]
They want me dead
14A gang of men is after me.They’re vicious and they want me dead.
They don’t consider you at all.
15You, Lord God, are merciful and kind.
You’re slow to get angry,
And full of compassion and truth.
16I’m begging you to come and help me.
I’m your servant.
Give me strength.
My mother is your servant, too.
Save me. 17Give me a sign, LORD.
Humiliate my enemies by letting them see it, too.
You have always been there to help and comfort me.
Footnotes
The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of David,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the prayer was written by David, about David, or was inspired by David. Almost half of the psalms are attributed to David in this way, 73 of 150. Ancient Jewish history tells of David playing a lyre and writing songs. For one, he wrote a song of mourning at the battlefield death of King Saul and his sons: “How have the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19-27 New American Standard Bible). An ancient Jewish scroll from about the time of Jesus, discovered among the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, reports that David wrote 3,600 songs.
Literally, Sheol, a word Old Testament writers used to describe the place of the dead. It is a kind of underworld where the dead are cut off from the living—and from God—and there is no coming back.
Discussion Questions
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