“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.” Psalm 86:1-2
I was thrust into a posture of desperate need when I experienced loss. “Poor and needy” resonates with me. I’ve learned, however, that such a humble posture is not a negative state. Jesus promises that he blesses the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Poverty and need turned me toward God and not away from him.
It’s appropriate to ask God to hear and answer. It’s wholly right to ask for God’s preservation, his salvation. It’s wise to reassert your trust in God.
“Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” Psalm 86:3-5
A lesson from pain, asking is invited. E. M. Bounds stated, “Feeble asking impoverishes the asker…” Here we see the psalmist crying for God’s graciousness, gladness for his soul. He affirms that the Lord is good, forgiving, and full of steadfast love. Not for the deserving. For the one who calls out in desperate need. From a place of poverty.
“Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” Psalm 86:6-7
Again, asking is the rule of the Kingdom. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). God’s part is to give ear, to listen. My part is asking, seeking, and knocking like I mean it.
“The great essential in prayer is persistence.” S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Prayer
Persistent asking, pleading, is the essential element in prayer. Faith, turning to God in trouble’s day, is entirely appropriate because it is God who has the power to answer. And grace is given. Sufficient in supply. There is no one like the Lord among any other would-be gods. His works, his deeds, exceed all other provisions.
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.” Psalm 86:9-10
In the depth of poverty, we come before him and we ask repeatedly. He is our God and we have no one else. Eventually, we will be joined by the throngs. All nations will worship. Revelation 7:9 assures us that one day every tribe, tongue, people, and nation will gather at the throne in worship. His deeds are that good. He alone is God. We who believe know him now; one day, everyone will know and acknowledge him. Every knee. Every tongue.
“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:11-12
Every person will bow. It’s a good reminder. The faithful follower bows again and again. Repeatedly. His pleas from the depths of pain and poverty turn to pleas for God’s way to be established. We should pray, teach me! Why? So we can walk in his way, his truth. Our heart can be united, singular in purpose, to fear his name.
“For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” Psalm 86:13
A repeated message throughout The Psalms is that God’s steadfast love is immovable. No matter the poverty we face, he will deliver us. His love is enduring, and it is toward us. No matter what. It could be insolent enemies, ruthless men, or any who seek not our God.
Even then.
Steadfastness means he remains unchanged in his mercy and grace. He is slow to anger, and, by contrast, his love endures as does his faithfulness. And so we bow to him—we turn to him—and we ask that he turns to us to strengthen us with his grace. In our poverty, we desperately seek a sign of his favor and comfort.
“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Psalm 86:15-17
Read the E-book Facing Loss: Lessons of Hope from My Unwanted Journey