Have you read the Psalms lately? They contain such striking language, fluid meter, beautiful imagery, and a wide range of emotion. They communicate to the human heart unlike any other form of poetry. In Psalm 86, we see the format of prayer that is repeated in the collection of Psalms.
The psalm begins with a plea to be heard, “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me” (Psa. 86:1). It is repeated in verse six, “Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications!” We have an innate need to be heard. When we are in distress, we cry out for help. That is no different for the writer of this psalm. He cries out to the One who he knows will help. “In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). There is a confidence in the deliverance of the Lord in the heart of the writer. It is as though he has been in this place before, and he is confident that God can get him out again. “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God” (Psa. 86:10).
The writer, possibly David, says that he is “afflicted and needy” and that his soul needs rescued. “O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a band of violent men have sought my life, and they have not set You before them” (Psa. 86:14). How many of us can relate to that concept—to be in a place that there seems none stand with you? Many of God’s servants have been in that very situation. Standing alone against evil. Standing alone for the faith. But, have they ever really been alone? We all hope in what God has promised, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Deut. 31:6; Heb 13:5).
With a confident expectation that God will provide just what has been asked, he has another request: “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psa. 86:11). The servant of God sees the need to be connected to God through His word. As much as he wants to be heard by God, he is willing to listen also. There is a need for us to acknowledge to God that we are listening, that we will obey what He has put in place in our lives. This brings us into unity with the fear of the Lord.
Finally, being confident in the outcome of this prayer the psalmist writes, “Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me” (Psa. 86:17). He wants his life to be an example to those who opposed him. He wants his oppressors to know that it was God that delivered him from their hand. Our answered prayers are not to just relieve us from a burden. They are also a testimony to those around us that God has done this in my life, and He can do it in yours.