Psalm Meditation 1042
Trinity Sunday
June 7, 2020

Psalm 86
1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.
7 In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14 O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.
15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.
17 Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
(NRSV)

We have a picture frame in our kitchen with the unfinished sentence, “I love you because…” in the top part of the frame. We also have an erasable marker that allows us to finish the sentence. It is a place to compliment each other in a way that stands out. Since it is not a compliment that is heard once, it stands out as an enduring statement that can be consulted at any time, and is especially helpful when nursing a poor and needy heart.

While this psalm can be seen as an exercise in flattery, buttering up God in order to receive the help the psalmist desires, it is better seen as looking for the good in the midst of a painful situation. Using the psalm as a way to remind ourselves that the world is not as bleak as we currently see it, is a helpful contrast to our surroundings. The psalmist is doing the work of remembering what it is about God that makes it possible to turn to God in times of need. Then the psalmist commits it to writing as a constant reminder of who God is among us.

In a cynical mindset this psalm is an exercise in flattery, a way to convince God to do good things for us. In a faith-filled mindset, we see the psalmist listing reasons that God is dependable in every time. In this case, God is the most dependable when we are most in need. God does not need to be flattered, because God loves us, treasures us, forgives us, no matter what. We need to be reminded that God is with us at our best and at our worst.

June 1, 2020
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/