PSALM 86 WITH ALL MY HEART. "I will praise Thee O Lord my God, with all my heart." This is a peculiar psalm, made up of quotations from other psalms. One wonders why a psalmist like David needed to use quotations from other psalms n such a wholesale manner. Yet most of us do the same under circumstances when we pray earnestly and need to reinforce our petitions, we also quote hymns and scriptures, applying them to the need we are in. This is a psalm for the person labouring under affliction from persecution or calumny. David experienced open persecution; he really knew what it was. Down through the ages, many dear saints have travelled the same road and have found comfort in this psalm. The open persecution may be less in our day and age, but most of us have experienced the calumny. People speak evil of us when their intent is evil towards us, and merely because we are the children of God. This psalm is a series of petitions from verse one to verse four, and a series of afflictions from verse five to verse ten. It is good to make our petitions known to the Lord. It is also beneficial to affirm those things which we know of the Lord. The Apostle Paul makes this glorious affirmation, "I know in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against THAT DAY." That is a summary of Christian Faith. It is good to quote it often, to ourselves and to others. In his petitions the psalmist begins with "Bow down Thine ear" - Verse one. He calls as though he feels that God Almighty is way up on high, and would he please come down and listen to him. It is like a child crying to its father - "Just stoop down and listen to my cry!" I can still recall the blessing I had when I first heard that hymn, "He came right down to me, to condescend to be my friend, He came right down to me!" God, who inhabits the Throne of Heaven, came right down to where poor humanity lay, and answered our cry, and met our need. When He bows down His ear, He answers us. The psalmist was poor, humble, and afflicted, and the Greatest in all the Universe gave attention to him. God met his need. It is a wonderful thing to every believer, to know that God is there. The psalmist continues in verse two: "Preserve my soul for I am holy. He uses a very special word here when he cries "Preserve" - it means KEEP, and it is used in the military sense. David was a warrior king. He was accustomed to battle. He cries, "O God, keep my soul, defend it." We must confess that there are times when we feel that no-one understands what we are standing for. In such a situation we have one defence - "If God be for us, who can be against us?" HE IS OUR DEFENCE. He will KEEP our soul. David felt his very being was in peril. His argument is staggering - "For I am holy!" How could David express himself in that way?. He uses the word HOLY in the plural sense, having the meaning of SAINTS, the GODLY, the MERCIFUL. It could literally mean, "Be merciful unto me O Lord, for I am MERCIFUL." By the Grace of God, we are His People, and as such we are 'saints', holy and merciful.. It is presumption to ask God to show us mercy if we ourselves are merciless. David's history shows us that he was a merciful man. David therefore cries, "Have pity" (Vs.3) He had the habit of daily prayer, "I cry unto Thee daily." From the very beginning, God had daily communion with Adam, when the wind of God blew through the garden each day. It is good and essential that the Heavenly zephyr stirs our life daily. The psalmist knew this. He knew that we have an answering God. In the third verse of this psalm he requests, "O Lord, rejoice the soul of Thy servant," Make my soul happy. How marvellous it would be to start each day with a happy soul. I was once asked by a trainee nurse who had a questionnaire to complete, "When you feel ill, what is your reaction to it?" "I feel very annoyed," I replied. Then, when she had written my reply on her paper, I explained that I became annoyed because it interrupted my way of life. It is right for us to ask God to make our soul happy. Your body can be sad, even whilst your soul is happy. David said, "Unto Thee O Lord do I lift up my soul." LIFT UP - as it is used here - can mean, YIELD, BRING, FETCH. BRING your soul to God and He will make it rejoice. How we feel really is a matter of heart. "Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is WITHIN ME bless His Holy Name." There is no greater uplift than to have your whole being, all your heart, stirred with response to the Almighty. When our petitioning ends, our affirmation begins. David's affirmations in the psalm are noteworthy.. Vs.5. "For Thou O Lord, art good, and ready to forgive." We have a pardoning God. We must ever remember that He is the Lord. We live in days of common usage of first names, but beware of an unwarranted familiarity with the Almighty. I have heard some speak of "The man up there!" HE IS ALWAYS THE LORD. In all the Universe, only the Lord God Almighty has the Power to forgive us. In the day of trouble we call upon HIM. In verses eight to ten David sings, "Among the Gods there is none like unto THEE o lord, NEITHER IS THERE ANY WORKS LIKE UNTO THY WORKS." false gods are either 'dead things' or 'dead persons', or 'lost angels', but we can be assured that the time will come when ALL NATIONS will worship the LIVING GOD, for He will manifest His works. THIS IS THE MILLENNIAL PROMISE. The Living God is full of compassion - full of Grace - full of long suffering - plenteous in Mercy and Truth. In these affirmations David excels himself, yet he is only stating the facts. In the midst of these glorious affirmations, David burst out with a request - "O God UNITE MY HEART TO FEAR THY NAME." What does he mean by this phrase?. My heart is apt to be divided. My thoughts and affections wander. Too often I am of two minds, making my ways unstable. David knew quite well that when you can't make up your mind about something, it is time to examine your heart. 'I WILL PRAISE THEE WITH ALL MY HEART." MAKE ME WHOLEHEARTED IN ALL MY RESPONSE TO YOU o LORD. TEACH ME THY WAY: Here is the sixfold path - 1. I AM IGNORANT OF ETERNAL THINGS. I know nothing as I ought. I am a fool. I cannot, by searching, find the Way of Life. It is significant that God's Word says "With the heart man believeth unto salvation." Problems of the mind are soon sorted out when the heart is put right. 2. NO CREATURE CAN TEACH ME PROPERLY. There is a vail over my eyes. I need INSIGHT - the seeing of the heart - to see Spiritual things. 3. GOD WHO MADE ME, CAN TEACH ME. I am NOT beyond His reach. I am NOT beyond His skill. I am NOT beyond His Mercy. God alone, and God only can teach me His Way. 4. I COMMIT MY WHOLE CAUSE TO HIM. 5. THIS IS THE HEART OF MY CAUSE. The Almighty's way IS LIFE. 6. I WILL WALK IN THY TRUTH. "I will praise Thee O Lord with ALL my heart." David was going to be satisfied with nothing less than a wholeheartedness. So that guided by the Lord he would neither be doubtful nor in error. The ending of the psalm is wonderful. He sings, "Show me a token for good." SHOW - CAN BE TRANSLATED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS: DO me a token; implying, Demonstrate to me - MAKE me a token, implying CREATE it for me - PERFORM me a token, implying, WORK IT OUT for me. He wanted some demonstration from God as a TOKEN FOR GOOD. The word Token can also be translated - Mark or Sign. What he is praying for is A SIGN FROM GOD TO PROVE GOD. Then, he says, "I'll praise you with all my heart." Is it wrong to ask God for a sign?. The simple answer is that millions have asked for a sign, and God has obliged. The EVIDENCE encourages WHOLEHEARTEDNESS. Copyright (c) 1996, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/hpalmer/psalms: ps-086.txt .