Psalm 86 contains some my favourite verses that have been ingrained in memory since young.
PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Yet for today's psalm I cannot help but notice another interesting structure, differentiated by colour coding as listed below.
Prayer & cry to God
Affirmation of God's character / faithfulness
PS 86:1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. PS 86:2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. PS 86:3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. PS 86:4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. PS 86:5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
PS 86:6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. PS 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. PS 86:8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. PS 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. PS 86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. PS 86:13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. PS 86:14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life--men without regard for you. PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
PS 86:16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. PS 86:17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Looking at this structure, it is clear that the psalmist's prayer is anchored with a confidence in the character and attributes of God. He was not trying to arm-twist God to answer his own prayers. But rather, his prayers were crafted with a Biblical understanding of who God is.
"Prayer is not trying to overcome God's reluctance, but rather to flow with His willingness."
*** [My thoughts] One verse leaped out to me. PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
God brought to mind one of the oldies I learned when I was a young christian.
Teach me your ways, oh Lord my God And I will walk in Your truth Give me a totally undivided heart That I may fear Your Name
Purify my heart Cleanse me Lord, I pray Remove in me, all that is standing in the way
Purify my heart Cleanse me Lord, I pray Remove in me, all that is standing in the way Of Your love
Simple lyrics. But heartfelt. Whenever I sinned against God and feel so lousy and frustrated with myself, I always come back to this song. No excuses, nothing to plead, except for God to cleanse me and remove the sin that blocks me from His love.
There are many things in life we fear. Fear of failure (in our studies, career). Fear of not meeting expectations. Fear of not being accepted and loved. Fear of loneliness. Fear of the future. So many other fears.
But there is only ONE FEAR that will drive out all other fears in our lives, so that we can live life with great assurance, satisfaction and confidence. That is the FEAR OF THE LORD.
That's why the psalmist pleaded: Give me an undivided heart (oh God, please drive out all the other fears in me) That I might fear Your Name (so that the FEAR OF THE LORD will consume me)
Psalm 86 contains some my favourite verses that have been ingrained in memory since young.
PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Yet for today's psalm I cannot help but notice another interesting structure, differentiated by colour coding as listed below.
Prayer & cry to God
Affirmation of God's character / faithfulness
PS 86:1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. PS 86:2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. PS 86:3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. PS 86:4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. PS 86:5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
PS 86:6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. PS 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. PS 86:8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. PS 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. PS 86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. PS 86:13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. PS 86:14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life--men without regard for you. PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
PS 86:16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. PS 86:17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
Looking at this structure, it is clear that the psalmist's prayer is anchored with a confidence in the character and attributes of God. He was not trying to arm-twist God to answer his own prayers. But rather, his prayers were crafted with a Biblical understanding of who God is.
"Prayer is not trying to overcome God's reluctance, but rather to flow with His willingness."
*** [My thoughts] One verse leaped out to me. PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
God brought to mind one of the oldies I learned when I was a young christian.
Teach me your ways, oh Lord my God And I will walk in Your truth Give me a totally undivided heart That I may fear Your Name
Purify my heart Cleanse me Lord, I pray Remove in me, all that is standing in the way
Purify my heart Cleanse me Lord, I pray Remove in me, all that is standing in the way Of Your love
Simple lyrics. But heartfelt. Whenever I sinned against God and feel so lousy and frustrated with myself, I always come back to this song. No excuses, nothing to plead, except for God to cleanse me and remove the sin that blocks me from His love.
There are many things in life we fear. Fear of failure (in our studies, career). Fear of not meeting expectations. Fear of not being accepted and loved. Fear of loneliness. Fear of the future. So many other fears.
But there is only ONE FEAR that will drive out all other fears in our lives, so that we can live life with great assurance, satisfaction and confidence. That is the FEAR OF THE LORD.
That's why the psalmist pleaded: Give me an undivided heart (oh God, please drive out all the other fears in me) That I might fear Your Name (so that the FEAR OF THE LORD will consume me)
