Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Verse 2Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
Verse 3be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long.
Verse 4Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Verse 5For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
Verse 6Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.
Verse 7In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.
Verse 8There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
Verse 9All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
Verse 10For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
Verse 16Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.
Verse 17Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Devotion
I am the parent of a toddler. We are just entering the phase of life when he wants to do everything by himself, even if the task is beyond his growing abilities. This desire to do everything on our own is something that many of us never outgrow. Our insistence on being independent can mean we feel like a failure when we can't do everything on our own. It can make us feel isolated, like we can’t ask for help.
The psalmist teaches us here how to ask God for help. The psalmist gives us the words we need to ask God for help when everything seems so awful. We need humility to acknowledge our need for help and God's ability to give that help. Just like I am always near my son to help him with the things he can't do alone, God is beside us to lift us up when life gets too hard. We are supported by God and the communities that surround us, because life is too hard to go it alone.
Prayer
Powerful God, thank you for walking beside us in life. Help us to rely on you and on our community to get through life’s difficulties. Amen.