Psalm 86

Psalm 86:4-13
Great Is Your Steadfast Love
A Prayer of David.

4Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.

8There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

My prayers from this Psalm - "gladden the heart of your servant" & "teach me your way, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name." I don't exactly fully understand what uniting my heart to fear God's name means, but I know it's something I should strive for. I found this sweet little commentary on verses 8-17.

The psalmist pleads his earnestness, and the mercy of God, as reasons why his prayer should be heard.

Our poverty and wretchedness, when felt, powerfully plead in our behalf at the throne of grace. The best self-preservation is to commit ourselves to God's keeping. I am one whom thou favourest, hast set apart for thyself, and made partaker of sanctifying grace. It is a great encouragement to prayer, to feel that we have received the converting grace of God, have learned to trust in him, and to be his servants. We may expect comfort from God, when we keep up our communion with God.

God's goodness appears in two things, in giving and forgiving. Whatever others do, let us call upon God, and commit our case to him; we shall not seek in vain. (Ps 86:8-17)