Read
(A prayer by David.)
A Prayer for Help
1Please listen, Lord,
and answer my prayer!
I am poor and helpless.
2Protect me and save me
because you are my God.
I am your faithful servant,
and I trust you.
3Be kind to me!
I pray to you all day.
4Make my heart glad!
I serve you,
and my prayer is sincere.
5You willingly forgive,
and your love is always there
for those who pray to you.
6Please listen, Lord!
Answer my prayer for help.
7When I am in trouble, I pray,
knowing you will listen.
8No other gods are like you;
only you work miracles.
9 You created each nation,
and they will all bow down
to worship and honor you.
10You perform great wonders
because you alone are God.
11Teach me to follow you,
and I will obey your truth.
Always keep me faithful.
12With all my heart I thank you.
I praise you, Lord God.
13Your love for me is so great
that you protected me
from death and the grave.
14Proud and violent enemies,
who don't care about you,
have ganged up to attack
and kill me.
15But you, the Lord God,
are kind and merciful.
You don't easily get angry,
and your love
can always be trusted.
16I serve you, Lord,
and I am the child
of one of your servants.
Look on me with kindness.
Make me strong and save me.
17Show that you approve of me!
Then my hateful enemies
will feel like fools,
because you have helped
and comforted me.
Reflect
Those who have visited the optometrist know the series of tests designed to determine if you need glasses or not. For several months, my wife kept encouraging me to get my eyes checked and I kept encouraging her that I was fine and there were no issues. Now, imagine my surprise when I decided to honour my wife and go to the optometrist to discover that I could not see certain letters on the chart and that I would need glasses.
I learned something very important that day – perspective matters. I convinced myself that I was able to see clearly, but then I was confronted with the truth that things were a little fuzzy and glasses are what would really help me see clearly. When I put the glasses on for the first time, I was overwhelmed at the difference it made to my sight.
In Psalm 86, David is once again praying about the very difficult circumstances he is facing in his life. Verse 10 is like David finally put on a pair of glasses so that he could see clearly – “You alone are God.”
This one phrase puts all of life into perspective. There is nothing that people worship that is as great as God. There is no power on earth that compares to God. There is no activity on the planet that can thwart the mission of God. He alone is God!
There are moments where we attempt to take control of our lives, and there are moments when it feels like our lives have taken control of us. True clarity and perspective for every moment of your life will only come when you walk in the truth that he alone is God.
Rest in that perspective for your life today.
Respond
Dear Father God, Give me eyes to see that you alone are God. May that truth and perspective shape every attitude of my heart, every thought in my mind, and every action of my hands. I pray that your power will be revealed in my life and through my life today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Kirk Giles
Kirk Giles is Co-Lead Pastor of Forward Church – a multisite church in the Waterloo Region area of Ontario. He previously served as President of Promise Keepers Canada | Impactus – a global ministry equipping men for a life of purpose and godly impact. Kirk is married to Shannon and together, they have four adult children and two daughters-in-law.