Sermon Tone Analysis
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Some situations in life are so threatening that we cannot get them off our minds.
Our days are unproductive because of the stress and anxiety they create.
We cannot sleep at night because when we close our eyes our troubles are playing through our minds.
All we can do is continually cry out for God’s help.
David wrote Psalm 86 when he found himself in such a situation—this is the only psalm in the third book of Psalms authored by him.
We do not know the specific occasion that held David in such deep distress.
It may have been Saul’s pursuit, Absalom’s rebellion, or some other less prominent conflict with enemies.
Whatever the situation, his desperation was so great and his need so urgent that he constantly cried out to God.
Health crises, family crises, financial crises, fierce persecution, and a host of other troubles can plunge us so deep into despair that we can do nothing but pray.
And pray we should, because in such times nothing else can truly help.
In this psalm, David teaches us how to pray when facing critical situations.
I. Pay Attention to Me
v. 1
In desperate need of God’s help, David cried out to the Lord.
He asked God to bow down His ear, to turn His attention to him and hear (ana) his prayer.
By referring to himself as poor (ani), David was saying that he was sorely distressed.
Needy (ebyon) means that he was helpless and in need of God’s assistance.
He could do nothing to change his circumstances.
When we are brought low by trouble, we can call on God.
As we pass through life, we will face many situations that are out of our control.
But even when we can do nothing to change our circumstances, we are not helpless.
God is our helper, and He has promised to hear us when we cry out to Him.
II.
Preserve Me
save my soul.
v.2
David was under attack from ruthless enemies who sought his life (v.
14).
Unable to ensure his own safety, he asked God to preserve or guard his soul or life and to save him from his enemies.
He gives two reasons that He should be protected:
Because I am devoted to you (v.
2a).
David appealed to God for protection on the basis of his devotion to God.
He humbly stated that he was holy (chasid) and that the Lord was his God.
When used as a noun, chasid is usually translated as saint.
It speaks of those who have a covenant relationship with the Lord and who “reflect the character of God in their actions or personality.”
David wasn’t saying because he did everything right, but because God is faithful to His covenant!
Because I trust in you (v.
2b).
David also appealed to God for protection because he was God’s servant.
Like the bondservant, who chooses to stay with his master out of love, David willingly served God because he loved Him (Ex.
21:5–6).
And, he trusted God for protection and for the provision of his needs in return.
This was the servant-master relationship:
the servant dedicated his life to his master, and the master was responsible for taking care of the servant.
When we are faithful to the Lord, we can expect Him to be faithful to us.
Because we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we are God’s sons and daughters (Ga.
3:26).
We should also be His servants, ones who freely and willingly dedicate our lives to Him.
We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God.
When we consider His mercies toward us, we are to give ourselves fully to Him.
This is our reasonable service (Ro.
12:1).
Even when we are unfaithful, God is still faithful (2 Ti. 2:13).
Yet serving God faithfully fills us with boldness to approach Him for our needs, and it gives us the confidence that He will faithfully take care of us.
III.
Be Pitiful to Me
V. 3
David pleaded with God to be merciful to Him.
Be merciful (chanan) means to “bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior.”
It is to be gracious toward or show pity to a person in need.
David’s need for God’s help was so great that he cried out to God throughout the day, all day long.
Anything we receive from God is a result of His mercy toward us.
We always need to remember that we deserve nothing from Him but judgment.
Every gift we receive from God is due to His graciousness: it is His nature to help us and to do good for us.
We are the blessed benefactors of a good, loving, and merciful God.
IV.
Pep Me Up
v. 4-5
David desired more than to be rescued from his enemies: he longed for the joy of the Lord to fill his soul again.
Because his troubling circumstances had robbed him of his joy, he needed a special touch from God.
In lifting up his soul to Him, David asked God to lift him out of the depths of despair and to fill his heart with joy.
To lift up your soul to God is turn to Him with all that you are (Ps.
25:1).
Again he gives God reasons why He should help him:
Because I am your servant:
I give myself to serve you (v. 4).
Once more, David emphasized the fact that he was God’s servant.
Having given himself fully to God, he asked the Lord to meet his desperate need for encouragement, comfort, and hope.
Because you are good
ready to forgive, and merciful to all who call on you (v. 5).
In calling out for God’s help, David claimed what he knew to be true about God, about His character and nature.
Notice that David addressed God as Lord (Adonai), which means master.
David appealed to God on the basis of his servant relationship to Him.
He praised the Lord for three of His attributes:
First, David praised the Lord for being good.
Life’s severe trials do not change who God is and what He is like.
On the darkest days of our lives, God is still good (1 Chr.
16:34; Ps. 145:9).
Even though David was sorely distressed by his trouble, he did not lose sight of God’s goodness.
Second, David praised God because He is always ready to forgive. 5
Even though God is perfectly holy and righteous, He does not stand by waiting for the opportunity to judge us.
Rather, as David noted, He stands ready to forgive us.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are still sinners, and yet God has no record of our sins.
He has carried our sins away, casting them in the depths of the sea forever (Micah 7:19; Je. 31:34; Ps. 103:12).
On our very worst days, we can rejoice because we have been forgiven.
Third, David praised the Lord because He is merciful.
Mercy (chesed) is God’s steadfast, covenant love
When we call on Him, He responds according to His unfailing love for us.
Plenteous in mercy speaks of the depth and magnitude of God’s mercy and love toward us as well as all that He does for us because of His great love.
God’s mercy is abundant—far beyond what we could ever need.
David realized that he could have joy in the midst of his intense trouble.
Notice what he did:
⮚ He asked God to give him joy.
⮚ Then He took his eyes off of his trouble and focused instead on God’s goodness, forgiveness, and mercy.
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