By way of confession, my prayer life is pathetic. It’s not that I don’t pray. It’s not that I am not confident in prayer. It’s not that I don’t pray often. It’s just that my prayer life is not what I want it be. If you need someone to pray for you, don’t ask me. Ask someone like David Matlock, someone who will get in the closet and beseech God in your behalf. David has prayed for me for years.
It’s not that I haven’t seen results through prayer. I have. I have seen immediate results and results over years of prayer. I remember making a pastoral call at the hospital. A dear elderly lady was dying. She had some kind of terminal lung disease. I didn’t know what to pray for her. I took her hand and quoted Philippians 1:6 and prayed. Before I finished praying, I could see her condition improving dramatically. She had wanted to come home and do a few things before she died. God gave her that opportunity.
Over a number of years, our missionaries worked with a team to translate the NT into Bosnian. We prayed for funds to finish the translation project. The yearend was coming. I knew enough about budgeting to know that at yearend unused funds can be reallocated. I called IMB headquarters and asked for any funds that might be available at yearend. I got 30K, enough to finish the project. Then, we needed funds to publish. I prayed with our team for funds. The NTs cost $3.50 each. In the next 3 years, our missionaries distributed 250K copies in Sarajevo.
My prayer life has been greatly aided by missions and trouble. Generally speaking, missions and trouble have close relationship. I have had trouble that was not missionary and missions that was not troubling, but rarely. I want to make a few affirmations about prayer and then look at this psalm as it relates to prayer.
I read a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon in which he was expounding a text concerning the conversion of Paul. When the Lord told Ananias to go to Saul, He said, Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying.
All Christians pray. We are not saved by praying, but people who are saved pray. Our prayer lives may be pathetic and undisciplined, but we pray. Of course, non-Christians pray. Prayer is alive in the world. Even the atheist bows in prayer before his idols.
Christian prayer, however, is unique not because it is prayer but because of the uniqueness of the Christian God. He actually hears and answers prayer. Prayer is no better than the one to whom it is addressed. Although it may help psychologically, it is not merely talking your way to feeling better. We pray to the God who hears and answers.
Jesus assumes that His people will pray. When He gave us the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:5, 7; Lk. 11:2), He said, “When you pray…” not “If you pray…” Following Jesus is going to give you occasion and reason to pray.
An old confession of faith defines prayer as “an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to His will, in the Name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.” Prayer is communion and communication with God. R.C. Sproul wrote:
My wife and I are as close as two people can be. Often I know what she’s going to say almost before she says it. And the reverse is true. But I still like to hear her say what is on her mind….We have the privilege of sharing our innermost thoughts with God. Of course, we could simply enter our closet, shut the door, let God read our minds, and call that prayer. But that’s not communion and certainly not communication (Effective Prayer, 15).
Prayer is as natural to the Christian as crying is to a baby. Cries of a baby are minimal communication. We all hope they will grow into better communicators. Since prayer is basic to Christian communication with God, we should grow in our praying.
It is often said, for example, that prayer is the work of missions. I think the opposite. Missions necessitates the work of prayer. E.M. Bounds said it like this, Prayer does not stand alone. It is not an isolated duty or and independent principle. It lives in fellowship with other Christian duties. It is married to other principles and is a partner with other graces. We are commanded to preach and pray and witness and pray. John Piper said, Prayer is the coupling of primary and secondary causes. It is the splicing of our limp wire to the lightning bolt of heaven (Brothers, 53).
One of my missionary colleagues and his family needed to renew their visas. The immigration officer gave visas to his wife and children but put a rejected stamp in his passport. He had 24 hours to leave the country. He called me. I asked him if he had any contacts in country that could help him. He had recently met the President’s bodyguard. I told him, “I’ll pray, and you call on the bodyguard to see if he may be a person of influence.” Before the day was over, the border received a call from the president’s office ordering them to issue the visa.
God gave us prayer because what He commands us to do is beyond our power to accomplish. God accomplishes His purpose in answer to the prayers of His people. He moves us to pray what He intends to do. Jesus told disciples to pray for laborers to be sent (Mt 9), then He sent them out (Mt10).
The psalmist is good at partnering prayer with other graces. This psalm is a masterpiece. The language the psalmist speaks is Bible. He weds his prayer with Scripture, the nature and character of God, and covenant realities. Such prayer saturated with grace is not trying to convince God to answer but assumes He will answer (7).
Prayer is a corporate endeavor. We need each other to pray. We have to make our requests with the whole body and God’s global purpose in mind. Prayer is not an individual sport. It has corporate and global implications.
Small groups, the Table, and corporate prayer aid us in praying. Psalm 86 is an individual lament, but a lament shared with the congregation. In the Psalter, two kinds of laments are found—community laments and individual laments. Community laments represent a crisis that impacted the entire community. Individual laments were personal crises but not without community impact. By sharing individual burdens with the community, both the community and individuals within the community are strengthened in faith.
salm 86 has three stanzas: 1-7, 8-13, and 14-17. In the first and last stanzas, the psalmist makes his plea and lament. The middle stanza (8-13) focuses on the uniqueness of God and the psalmist’s desire to glorify Him. The psalm is like finely cut diamond that radiates light at every angle.
For example, each stanza draws on the covenant language of Exodus 34 primarily in verses 5, 13, and 15. It petitions and complaints yield yet another view of its structure (vv 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 16, 17 (14 altogether)). The reasons offered that God will answer the psalmist (vv 1, 2, 3, 4) and that the psalmist will ask (5, 7, 10, 13, 17) give another view of the composition of the psalm. The way God is addressed provides another look at the structure of the psalm. The second person pronoun is uses 31 times plus 13 more times is imperative verbs, God (El or Elohim) is used 4 times, LORD (Yahweh) is used 4 times, Lord (Adonai) is used 7 times ( about 60 references to God). He is both the subject and object of this prayer.
As we look at this psalm, I want us to learn how to pray better. I am going to focus on certain themes that run through the psalm that will aid us in prayer. I can use this psalm to this end because that is why it was written. As with many psalms, we are not told the historical situation. The psalmist obviously felt that his life was threatened (vv2, 13, 14), and he desired God to renew his life (v4). Beyond these generalities, we do not know the details. Not knowing the details is what makes the Psalms such a gift to the church. Our troubles are the common experience of the saints throughout the ages. We want to make our situations unique and let ourselves go with them to despair. The issues of our lives are not unique, but our God is unique. He has provided language that aids us in expressing our need. Lets look at 3 lessons in prayer.
The psalm uses language found throughout the OT. It employs the covenant language of Exodus 34 (vv 5, 13, 15). Throughout the Psalter, you will find similar petitions (preserve…save… v2, 16; Be gracious..vv 3, 16; Give ear…v6; Turn…v16). Even the lament of verse 14 is similar to Psalm 54:3. Most of the psalmist’s language is indirect quotes of Scripture.
He is using Scripture the way John used it in the Revelation. The Revelation is saturated with OT Scripture but hardly a direct quote. John is saturated with Bible. You get the impression when reading Psalm 86 that the psalmist is speaking Bible. He is using the words of Scripture to inform his prayer. His thoughts about his situation and about God in relation to his situation are being sifted through the truth of Scripture.
Some want to put a premium on originality in prayer. We call it praying from our heart. While there is nothing wrong with being original in our praying, originality is not all it is cracked up to be. A preacher once said, “I determined to be original or nothing, and soon found out that I was both.” The tried and true formulas of faith found in the language of Scripture are powerful weapons in the arsenal of prayer. In the context of affliction, our need will be best expressed through hearts saturated by the Word of God. D.A. Carson said that our prayers need to be reformed by the Word of God (A Call to Spiritual Reformation, 17).
Saturate your prayers with the Bible. Think through your situation in light of the Scripture, and pray the Word of God. Prayer is not to overcome God’s reluctance but to lay hold of His willingness. His Word is His will. Lay hold of it in prayer. If the original expressions of our hearts don’t correspond with Scripture, then we don’t want what God wants.
Why would I pray that a missionary be able to stay in country or for funds to translate and publish the NT? I would pray for such things because I am convinced by the Word of God that such things are the will of God.
God is both the subject and object of the psalm. We must pray in keeping with the character of God. There are about 60 references to God in this psalm. The second person pronoun is used about 45 times. I want to you see six times where the second person pronoun is used in direct address. These references serve to highlight the unique character of God as the beginning, end, and center of the prayer. These references structure the psalm.
In verses 2 and 17, we have the first and last such reference. You are my God (v2), and You, Lord have helped and comforted me (v17). These two references bracket the psalm, showing it is the nature and character of God to help and comfort His people.
In verses 5 and 15 as we work our way to the center of the psalm, the next two references reveal more of the character of God. He is good and forgiving (5) and merciful and gracious (15).
In verse 10, the center of the psalm has the middle two direct address references to God, showing that the uniqueness of God is the point of the psalm. No one is like God (v8). You have to hold verse 8 and verse 10 in tension. Has anyone heard of a god like Him? In this psalm, He is the God who rules and reigns over the all things. He made the nations for His glory (9). He does astonishing things (10). No one can do what He does (8). He defeats all our enemies (17). He is good and forgiving and merciful and gracious (5, 15).
When you consider the unique character of God, on whom else would you call? His singularity compels us to call on Him.
All three stanzas are permeated with covenant language, the language of Exodus 34:6 (vv 5, 13, 15).
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
The covenant becomes the ground of both the psalmist’s confidence in asking (vv5, 10, 13) and his confidence that God will hear His prayer (vv1-4 “for”).
Verses 5, 13, and 15 strongly allude to Exodus 34:6 with one obvious difference. In each verse, rather than using the covenant Name for God, Yahweh, as Exodus 34 does, the psalmist uses the Name that describes God’s sovereignty, His rule over all things. This is intentional because the Psalmist uses the covenant Name of God (Yahweh) 4 times (vv 1, 6, 11, 17).
Why the change? When Yahweh passed before Moses, He proclaimed His Name Yahweh, Yahweh, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex 34:6). Verse 5 says, For you, O Adonai. Verse 12, which introduces the covenant quote of verse 13, says, You, O Adonai. Verse 15 says, You, O Adonai.
In each case, the psalmist introduces the quote with Lord (Adonai). He is putting together God’s covenant love and His sovereignty. In the context of this lament, the psalmist is saying that God is known by the powerful deliverance of His people. By a mighty hand, God delivered His people from Egypt. He put forth His hand to work wonders and deliver them. The Lord who loves us is powerful.
In the first point, I raised the issue of the will of God and prayer. In this point, I raised the issue of the sovereignty of God and prayer. One might ask, if God is only going to do His will and if He is sovereign, why pray? Rather than the rule and will of God limiting our prayers, they expand and enhance prayer. To say that our finite mind is limited by the infinite wisdom of God is a contradiction in terms. Our praise is limited by the majesty of God; confession is limited by the willingness of God to forgive; thanksgiving is limited by the goodness of God; our requests are limited by the kind purpose of God. Such limitations do not stifle prayer but encourage prayer.
He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Eph 3:20). Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9).
The reason the psalmist prayed was directly related to the sovereign love of God. When I think of the sovereignty of God and His infinite love for His people, I think who knows, who can imagine what He may do? So ask Him! It was this very thought that prayed me to a decision to act that brought to me the most painful experience of my life that has yield the incredible fruit.
The ground of our asking is the sovereignty and love of God. If God were sovereign and didn’t love us, we would have no ground for asking. If He loved us and was not sovereign, we would have no ground for asking. In love, He has determined to do us good, and He has the power to carry it out.
The psalmist looked at His need through the lens of His covenant relation to God. You can live this way. It is dangerous, and it leads to laments, but it yields great blessing. Look at how the psalmist does this.
a) God will answer
In verse 5, the psalmist grounds his petitions in the first stanza (1-7) in God’s covenant love. Incline, preserve, save, be gracious, gladden, give ear, and listen for you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Look at his confidence in prayer (v7 for you answer me).
God answers prayer. Pray in confidence. You may think that he didn’t hear but he did. If you pray in a way that is not consistent with His character and will, his answer is that He will teach you to pray. If you don’t know what to pray, the HS makes intercession for you according to His will. God answers prayer. When Paul prayed for God to remove his thorn in the flesh, the answer was not just No, but I will give you grace. I want to show my strength in your weakness. (2 Cor. 12:7-9)
b) God will deliver
In the second stanza (8-13), the psalmist noted remarkably that God is committed saving the nations with whom He had not entered into covenant and reasoned that if God intends to redeem the nations how much more will God be willing to save those with whom He is in covenant. Verses 8-10 and 11-13 are parallel in comparison. The psalmist desires the same end the nations will enjoy (vv9, 12, glorify your Name).
We are saved the same way Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, atheist, and Christians are saved—by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus who lived perfect life, died a sin bearing death, and rose again to save all those who repent and believe.
I wonder if texts like Acts 10:47 and 15:11 do not come from reasoning through texts like Psalm 86:8-13. Peter preached to Gentiles and had to defend his actions to the church. He said, They received the Holy Spirit just as we have. Then at the Jerusalem Conference facing the gentile question again, Peter said, We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. At first he said, they are saved like us. Then he said, we are saved like them.
The thought that God has a gracious purpose of redemption for the nations is so awesome that the psalmist cries out Teach me your way…(v11). What is the way of God? The psalmist wants to reflect the character, activity, and views of God. He is battling a divided heart. When you’re in trouble, when you’re not committed, when you are the object of your own interests, your heart is divided.
We need a single focus on God grounded in covenant realties. Focusing on Him diminishes all other fears. A double-minded man will received nothing from the Lord. A divided mind doesn’t fear God, but fears life, men, and the spook behind every tree. A heart singly set on God fears Him the way fear strikes us when peer over into the Grand Canyon. It’s a combination of feeling our own limitations in comparison to something so vast and beautiful. If someone asks, Are you afraid? We would answer, Yes. No. I’m awestruck.
Pray for a heart untied in the way and truth of God.
c) God will shame his enemies
In the last stanza (14-17), the psalmist draws a contrast between God and His enemies. In verse 14, insolent (translated presumptuous in Ps. 19:13), proud, arrogant, wicked, ruthless men who have nothing for God seek his life. How different is God in verse 15. He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. On the basis of God’s covenant, the psalmist reasons that his enemies cannot triumph over him. He asks for a sign that is a covenant sign—in the sense that the rainbow and circumcision were signs of covenant.
The ultimate and final sign of the victory of God’s people is the sinless life, the atoning death, and justifying resurrection of Jesus Christ (Mt. 12:39; 16:4; Lk 11:29-30). Covenant realities lead the psalmist to speak as if his deliverance was complete (vv13, 17). God snatched him from death and put his enemies to shame (13, 17).
If covenant realities gave the psalmist confidence in asking, they gave him confidence that God would hear. You notice this particularly in the first and last stanzas. The psalmist identifies himself as God’s servant (vv 2, 4, 16).
Verses 14-17 show the psalmist’s struggle without. He is God’s servant, the son of a servant. He knows that any master is committed to care for his servant. The psalmist knows how futile it is for evil men to attack God’s purpose and people.
Verses 1-4 reveal the psalmist’s struggle within. No doubt the struggle without led to the struggle within. The psalmist deals with these in prayer in reverse order. He has to encourage himself in the Lord to be strengthened to stand against his enemies (v 16). Each verse in 1-4 gives a reason that God will answer. The psalmist is helpless (1 “for I am poor and needy”), threatened (v3 “reserve…save”), and in trouble (7), but He belongs to God (v2 “for I am godly,” vv2, 4 “servant”).
The psalmist is not trying to convince God to answer, but is citing the reasons God will answer. The psalmist knows that His problem is God’s problem. The reputation of God is at stake in welfare of His people.