Compassionate and Gracious God

David is under attack from arrogant and ruthless foes (verse 14). So how does one face life when it seems out of control? In this Psalm David reminds himself over and over who God is. Eleven times in this Psalm he calls Him “Lord.” That is from the Hebrew word for “sovereign.” David wants his heart to catch fire again, to trust that God is in control. How we fall when we lose our grip on who God is: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (verse 15). Be transformed by saying “I will praise you.” (verse 12)

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

Click here to access the reading from Psalm 86:3-15

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REFLECTION

 

An Psalm Rewritten

by Kelsey Bacon

 

Today I’m doing something a little different. The purpose of this week’s readings are to help us focus on the goodness of God, and I think David does a beautiful job in this Psalm. So instead of writing a devotion based on the passage, I read through it a few times and rewrote it in my own words, rewrote it with words and emotions that the Lord was speaking to me through the text. So take some time to reflect on and pray Psalm 86:3-15 rewritten:

 

Lord, please, I beg you. I am a sinner. I deserve to be punished, I deserve all that death and hell brings. But I beg you to spare me from this fate. It’s you and you only, Lord. You’re the one I cry out to, you’re the one I trust. Show me what it means to have true contentment in you.

 

Lord, you are the only truly good thing. You forgive me of my brokenness, you love me despite my sin. You hear me – listen to me – when I say your name, when I share my heart with you. You speak to me like no one else does, because you love me like no one else does.

 

Lord, there is nothing and no one like you in this earth. Your majesty, your goodness, your worthiness outweighs every other thing. Your beauty is unmatched. Your kindness goes beyond any human kindness. Your love is unfathomable. You are the One and Only God of the Universe, and for that you will have glory and honor and praise forever.

 

Lord, I am weak, but you are strong. I want to be more like you. I want my heart to look like yours. I want to read your Word and listen to your voice and look upon your face. You have shown me your goodness, you have shown me your glory, and so I praise your name, Lord. My heart is aflame with love for you, with praise to you. But my fiery heart is nothing compared to the love that you have for me, and the sacrifices you have made for me. I am humbled by your love.

 

Lord, I can feel the presence of the enemy on this earth. I know that he is working against you, working against me. But you, O Lord, are who I want to follow. Your heart is the one I want to chase after. I praise you for who you are, for your love that never ends, for your compassion that always forgives, and for your faithfulness, without which I would be lost.

 

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

 

THURSDAY: LIFE - Lord God Almighty, we lament the current distress of our nation and we ask for your intervention. We implore you that every precious life would be protected – lives of minorities, lives of the unborn, lives of the hopeless, lives of the mentally ill, lives with deep roots in this land, lives who have recently arrived -- each and every precious life for whom You gave Your precious life.