Author: timritanickel@gmail.com

Psalm 86:11-12 Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth, unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

The Lord teaches me the ways of God, not only that I may know God but that may also live according to the name and word of God. True faith in Jesus actually changes my living and my ways. The better I know Him, the more I love Him, and the more I love Him the better my life and walk will be.

Throughout my life on earth I respond by praising the Lord with all my heart; and then in eternity I will glorify the name of God forever. During this life I learn from God’s Word about how His Law and His Gospel applies to my life. I believe God and walk in that faith. I praise God constantly and look forward to glorifying the Lord forever in his eternal home.

Psalm 86:6-7 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer: and arrend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me.

In the day of trouble, David prays and calls upon the Lord. He responds to trouble by asking God to hear and answer him. To some degree, every day is a day of trouble as long as we are alive on earth, and we may turn to Him and call every day. Since we are sinners in a sinful world trouble surrounds. But the Lord is there surrounding the troubles of the day.

He is as close to us as our heart and our lips. When we call He answers. The Son of God entered our world of sin and took our sin upon Himself. He sent the Spirit to be with us to hear and answer, and to be with us always. This is Jesus’ promise to us: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble (every day), and I will deliver you.”

Psalm 86:3-4 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

This prayer of David is for mercy from the Lord. In his need he cries to the Lord daily. For he needs God’s mercy every day. He has no one else to turn to, but he trusts in the Lord to be merciful. Our human condition is so miserable that without mercy we could not live to enjoy another day of life. But God is merciful and He hears our cry. He sees our pain and tears, dies for them, and sends the Holy Spirit to bring comfort, healing and forgiveness.

We respond to sadness, disappointment and bitterness by asking the Lord to lift up my soul, my self, all my thoughts and feelings. We lift up the soul to rise above the pain and misery of sinful life, to be lifted up to where Jesus reigns in the heavenly places. Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth…for your life is hidden with Christ in God.” So lift up your soul to be where Christ is. We do this by repenting, receiving forgiveness and life, and believing Jesus, daily.

Psalm 86:1-2 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

Although David was king and subsequently wealthy, before God he considered himself poor and needy. In such a state of need he responds with prayer for the Lord to hear him. He has been convicted by the Word of his own spiritual condition of sin, weakness and wretchedness. He recognizes that a merciful and caring God is his only hope, so he asks the Lord to hear his prayer and see his need. So also for us: we are beaten down by sin and guilt, and we pray for mercy. God hears us because of Christ.

We ask Him to preserve our soul, our whole self, mind, will, and emotions, for we are fragmenting and breaking apart under the burden of sin, death and the devil. We come broken to Jesus who puts us together and holds us together.

We trust Him to save us and do all the work of salvation and to make us holy through the blood of Christ, and make us worthy to be rescued.

Psalm 85:7-9 Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints, but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

The Psalmist speaks in response to God’s judgment upon His people, and he begs for mercy and restoration from captivity. He is sorry for the sin and rebellion of the people and turns to the Lord’s mercy as the only hope of salvation from God’s just judgment.

God’s glory was with His people, but His glory departed because of sin, unbelief and idolatry. God’s glory, presence and power is intended to be with us, but our sin keeps it away. However, His love for us is stronger than our sin: He sent His Son to forgive, redeem and restore us to Himself. He finished the job once, and He comes again and again when we repent and believe, which we do daily. He speaks peace to us through the Word of Gospel and restores His glory among us. Thank God!

Psalm 84:11-12 For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Our response to God’s grace, goodness, and salvation is to walk uprightly and to trust in the Lord. This is our part of the Covenant the Lord made with us. “I have done this for you; now you will do this for me.” You will walk uprightly, that is, keep the covenant by living according to the Ten Commandments, God’s Law, and especially the First Commandment, to trust the Lord above all things.

The Lord is our sun and shield, our provider and protector. We hold up the shield of faith by believing the Gospel of Christ. He has done all things for us; we respond with faith and obedience, and enjoy life under His blessing. God’s blessings come to those who trust Him above all things.

The promised incentive for trusting and living uprightly is that He gives grace and glory, grace now and glory forever. The amazing promise is that He will withhold no good thing from us. This does not mean that He will give us everything that we think is good but that He will withhold from us nothing that is permanently good. When we obey Him, He will not hold anything back that will help us serve Him. Blessing and good comes to faithful believers in Christ. Count on it.

Psalm 84:1-2, 4 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh Cristy out for the living God….Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.

The House of God is a good place to go to and remain awhile. Indeed, my whole being longs and faints for the Presence of the Lord. Amidst the daily grind of life we long to get away and meet God in His dwelling place. Those who worship in spirit and truth (believe in Jesus) can meet God anywhere, at any time. But we know that going into a church building helps us step aside to pray and worship. This weekly activity informs and inspires our daily quiet time of meeting with God.

When we are not with God in His presence we miss Him, and we long, even faint, for God and His Presence. So we look forward to going to church and we come away refreshed and renewed for the week. And during the week we spend daily time alone with the Lord. We dwell in His loving presence at all times, and so we continually praise the Lord.

Psalm 81:11, 13 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me….Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

The Lord God had miraculously saved, delivered, and provided for His people. And made a covenant with them that He would be their God and they would be His people. But the people still continued in sin and unbelief, would not listen to Him and walk in His ways, as revealed in the Ten Commandments of the covenant. Therefore, they would have trouble from the world and from their enemies.

And so it happened. Their own sin and disobedience, their worshipping other gods, and their not listening and obeying His covenant ways, was the cause of their problems and troubles. God is not to blame. Finally disaster came upon the people of God, their nation, their city and temple. The curses of the covenant came into effect because the people did not listen.

We today are still the same kind of people that Israel was, not listeners. But God’s Love is stronger, so He sent His Son to listen, obey and walk for us, and to die in our place as us as judgment upon our sin, disobedience and unbelief. We did not listen to the Law, but, with the Spirit’s help, we can listen to (believe) the Gospel of grace and life.

Psalm 81:8-9 Hear, O my People, and I will testify unto thee, O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me. There shall no strange god be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

The Lord comes to His people, delivers them, and provides for them. In response, their part of the covenant is to listen and obey. The obedient response to God’s grace is that they will “have no other gods before Me” There is no other God but the Lord, who saves them. Other gods are strange, false, helpless, and hopeless. So we do not look to them, trust in them, or worship them. We listen to the Lord alone, and we fear, love and trust in nothing or no one else.

This is the First Commandment, and all the others flow from it. Then life is good. Living God’s way is the only way to a peaceful, prosperous, happy, and contented life. The good life, the only life, begins with God who is good and gracious, who saves us. It continues through us as we listen to Him, to His Law and Gospel. God’s good and true and eternal life flows into us when we listen.

Psalm 81:7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

In Psalm 50:15 God promises: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Here the Lord says He did just what He promised to do. When we are in trouble, trouble of any kind, large or small, we are commanded and encouraged to respond to the trouble by calling upon the Lord. Our first response, not our last resort, is to pray in time of need. He says He will deliver and answer.

He has done it before and He will do it again. He delivered water out of the rock at Meribah. Remember His Grace and Power is present for every need. He is a very present help in a time of trouble. The Rock is Christ. He it is who died for us to eternally deliver. And He comes again and again in every day of trouble to answer our call and meet our need.