Focal Passage: Psalm 86:1-13, 15-16
Have you ever needed a lifeguard in a pool, lake or ocean? Ever wish you could be one? Lifeguards are heroes. They save hundreds of thousands of lives annually. They bear an abundant amount of responsibility. They answer the cries of those who need help. David needed saving; he needed a lifeguard to save him from his enemies.
In Psalm 86 David is crying out to God for help. He desires the gift of God’s tender mercy. David is in trouble (v. 7) and is attacked by a band of ruthless men, his foes (v. 14, 17), who want to take his life (v. 13). David calls out to God to save him from this calamity and appeals to God’s tender mercy, compassion and goodness.
Steven Lawson defines mercy as “the deep heart feeling of benevolence that God has for his own, especially in their troubles.
Flowing from his all-compassionate heart, mercy is God’s infinite kindness and unending favor toward his people whose lives have been ruined by sin or stressed by trials” (Psalms, Holman Old Testament Commentary, 62).
Knowing that God’s action cannot be separated from God’s character, David reached out to the Lord in prayer.
He drew near to God, knowing that God was an ever-present help in times of trouble.
Nearly 150 years ago in our country, the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, once stated, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.”
David reminds us of how wonderful God is. He hears the cry of the needy (v. 1); His nature is to bring joy, forgiveness, and mercy (v. 4-5, 15); and His nature and His ways are like none other (v. 8-10).
Those who seek after the Lord recognize that He is the one who provides mercy in times of need. He is our reservoir of all that we need – forgiveness, mercy, compassion goodness, and grace. Seek Him daily.