PSALM 86:1-5 – “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. 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.”
THEME OF THE DAY: LORD, GLADDEN MY SOUL. Psalm 86 is titled A Prayer of David and what a prayer it is! Some bibles have a heading for this Psalm that reads Great is Your Steadfast Love. The condition of David is one of being downcast, maybe even depressed. He certainly isn’t happy or full of gladness. Listen to his cries that define his emotional and spiritual conditions . . .
“Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me for I am POOR and NEEDY” (Psalm 86:1).
“To you I CRY all the day” (Psalm 86:3b).
“GLADDEN THE SOUL of your servant” (Psalm 86:4a).
“Listen to MY PLEA” (Psalm 86:6b).
“In the day OF MY TROUBLE” (Psalm 86:7a).
“Give STRENGTH to your servant” (Psalm 86:16a).
The key petition in this prayer is Verse 4. This is the fruit of our salvation and to be the experience of every believer. It is the joy of the Lord to be enjoyed, and joy is one of the most power forces in the Christian life. It enables us to endure suffering, loss, and pain. It also keeps us living above our circumstances not by them.
As David prays for the Lord to work within him a glad heart, he has a responsibility to help be a part of the answer to his petition. Let me explain. God doesn’t just “zap” us with joy. He wants us to engage our minds with His truth; to direct our hearts to His Person. Joy comes by discipling our hearts and minds upon the truths (attributes) of who our God is. We don’t wait for a feeling from God. We concentrate on the being of our God as revealed to us.
What does David remind himself of in relation to who his God is? Verse 86:5 specifies three things … “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you”. If we want a glad heart (joy-filled), then we must get our minds and hearts off ourselves and our circumstances and keep them on these three qualities of our God. If we do they will always lead to a glad and joyful heart and life, not just once in a while, but consistently if we lean the discipline of our mind and heart.
The Lord is GOOD, FORGIVING, and ABOUNDING IN STEADFAST LOVE. Ponder these, meditate upon these, thank the Lord for these, and we cannot but come away from time with Him knowing the experience of a glad and joy-filled heart and life!
PRAYER: Father, I praise You for giving me all I need for a joyful life now and in an eternity of endless joy with You.
REFLECTION: Look to Christ and His goodness, forgiveness, and steadfast love as all we need for a life of joy and stability.