Help

But you, O Lord, are a merciful and loving God,
always patient, always kind and faithful.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
strengthen me and save me,
because I serve you just as my mother did.
Show me proof of your goodness, Lord;
those who hate me will be ashamed
when they see that you have given me comfort and help.
(verses 15-17)

Read Psalm 86: 11-17

David, before and during his reign as king of Israel, was often in a spot of bother. Sometimes it was other people’s fault, more often it was his own. The book of Psalms is full of examples of his calling on God for help to get him out of his latest jam. It’s interesting to list the reasons why he thinks God ought to help him:

God is merciful and loving.
God is always patient, kind and faithful.
David is a good person.
David’s mother was a good person.
God has a chance to prove himself.
It would be a slap in the face for David’s enemies.

We think like that too sometimes. We are all a mixture of godly faith and human weakness. Fortunately for David and for us, his first two reasons are actually true and valid.

Dear God, thank you for being so constant in your love for me that you forgive the lapses in my faith in you. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Living Water for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2001)

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