Psalm 86

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Psalm 86
• Sermon
• Pastoral Prayer

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Sermon Title: Nine Reasons to Call Upon God

Scripture: Psalm 86

I. God Is Merciful

A. Psalm 86:1 — "Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy" B. The Hebrew word ki (translated "for") introduces a fulfilled condition: God hears those who come to him in poverty of spirit C. Spiritual poverty — not necessarily material — is the condition met for God's ear to be bent toward us

1. Matthew 5:3 — "Blessed are the poor in spirit"
2. Those weighed down by sin and desperation are guaranteed to be heard by the merciful God

II. God Is Faithful

A. Psalm 86:2 — "Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant who trusts in you" B. This is not self-righteous confidence but a poor-in-spirit godliness that recognizes need of salvation C. God is faithful to preserve those who trust him, those who cry out in spiritual bankruptcy recognizing they fall short of his glory

III. God Is Gracious

A. Psalm 86:3 — "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day" B. Gracious in Hebrew means to show favor toward someone C. Those who pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) can be assured the Lord will shower his blessings and favor upon them

1. Mercy: God not giving us what we deserve
2. Grace: God giving us what we do not deserve — righteousness in and through Christ and every heavenly blessing

IV. God Is Joyful

A. Psalm 86:4 — "Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul" B. "Gladden" means literally to cause to rejoice C. God is joyful and longs for his children to share in that joy

1. Nehemiah 8:10 — "The joy of the Lord is your strength"
2. Ephesians 5:1 — "Be imitators of God as beloved children" — we are created in his image and called to reflect his joy
3. John 15:11 — "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full"
4. John 1:18 — The Son who has been at the bosom of the Father shares the fullness of that joy with us

V. God Is Forgiving

A. Psalm 86:5 — "For you, O God, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you" B. God's goodness is most consistently connected in Scripture to his mercy and forgiveness C. Forgiveness is not automatic — it is covenantal

1. God forgives those who call upon him and are in covenant with him
2. In these last days, forgiveness comes through the covenant head, Jesus Christ
3. 1 John 1:9 — "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins"
4. Steadfast love (Hebrew hesed) = God's covenant faithfulness; forgiveness is bound up with that covenant

VI. God Is Hearing

A. Psalm 86:7 — "In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me" B. Unlike dumb, mute idols, Yahweh hears and answers prayer (anthropomorphism) C. Deuteronomy 4:7 — "What great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call upon him?"

1. Moses contrasts Yahweh with the gods of the ancient Near East: Yahweh alone bends his ear to his covenant people
2. Simple but profound: we pray because God hears and answers

VII. God Is Awesome

A. Psalm 86:8–10 — "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord… for you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God" B. Elohim — the Hebrew term for God used here — conveys the majestic, cosmic power of the Creator

1. In Genesis 1, Elohim is repeated to showcase the power of God who creates and sustains all things by the word of his power
2. God created ex nihilo — out of nothing — and therefore alone is worthy of ultimate trust C. All the nations and their "gods" — whatever people place ultimate trust in — are called to bow before Yahweh alone

VIII. God Is Love

A. Psalm 86:13 — "For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol" B. David speaks of the salvation of his eternal soul, not mere physical deliverance C. 1 John 4:10 — "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"

1. This is the New Testament equivalent of Psalm 86:13: God's steadfast love is bound up with the redemption of the eternal soul
2. The love of God is not measured by temporal circumstances or daily providence but by his care for our souls in the blood of Christ
3. The hymn It Is Well with My Soul: "Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed his own blood for my soul"

IX. God Is Comfort

A. Psalm 86:17 — "because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me" B. The Hebrew word for comfort here often carries the sense of feeling sorry for someone — pity that moves toward action C. As a mother runs to her crying child, God hears the weeping of his children and moves to comfort them

1. Thomas Goodwin (Puritan): Christ's heart is most drawn toward us when we are helpless, sorrowful, and in a sad state
2. Romans 8:15 — "In the Spirit we cry out, 'Abba, Father'" — the word cry pictures a child in anguish calling for a parent D. John 14:26 — "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you"
3. The Spirit as Helper, Counselor, and Comforter is not comfort in a vacuum
4. The Spirit comforts by drawing us to the words of Christ, our great High Priest who sympathizes with us (Hebrews 4:15), intercedes for us, and out of pity died for us