Pastor YC "Psalm 86: Praying According to God's Character / Will"

Psalm 86 contains some my favourite verses that have been ingrained in memory since young.

PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Yet for today's psalm I cannot help but notice another interesting structure, differentiated by colour coding as listed below.

• Prayer & cry to God
• Affirmation of God's character / faithfulness

PS 86:1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
PS 86:2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
PS 86:3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
PS 86:4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
PS 86:5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

PS 86:6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy.
PS 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
PS 86:8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
PS 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
PS 86:10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

PS 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
PS 86:12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
PS 86:13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
PS 86:14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life--men without regard for you.
PS 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

PS 86:16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant.
PS 86:17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Looking at this structure, it is clear that the psalmist's prayer is anchored with a confidence in the character and attributes of God. He was not trying to arm-twist God to answer his own prayers. But rather, his prayers were crafted with a Biblical understanding of who God is.

"Prayer is not trying to overcome God's reluctance, but rather to flow with His willingness."