Bible Study Psalms 86
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Psalms 86 · WEB

You Are Great and Do Wondrous Things

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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Hear, Yahweh, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.
3Be merciful to me, Lord, for I cry to you all day long.
4Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
6Hear my prayer, Yahweh. Listen to the voice of my petitions.
7In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.
8There is no one like you among the gods, Lord, nor any deeds like your deeds.
9All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They will glorify your name.
10For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.
11Teach me your way, Yahweh. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.
12I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forevermore.
13For great is your loving kindness toward me. You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
14God, the proud have risen up against me. A company of violent men have sought after my soul, and they don't hold you before them.
15But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
16Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give your strength to your servant. Save the son of your handmaid.
17Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it and be shamed, because you, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.
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Summary

Psalm 86 is the only psalm in Book III attributed to David and draws heavily from other psalms — a mosaic of prior prayers. It is a deeply personal prayer of the poor and needy man calling on the God who is good, ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness. The theological centerpiece is verse 11: "Make my heart undivided to fear your name" — a prayer for integrated, whole-hearted devotion. The psalm weaves between petition, praise, and the description of enemies, closing with a request for a visible sign of God's goodness.

Themes

  • Personal prayer from poverty and need
  • God's readiness to forgive as the ground of confident approach
  • Universal worship: all nations coming before Yahweh
  • The undivided heart as the goal of spiritual formation
  • God's loving kindness as the deliverer from the depths

Key verses

  • Ps 86:10 — “For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.”
  • Ps 86:11 — “Teach me your way, Yahweh. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.”
  • Ps 86:5 — “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.”

Context & background

Psalm 86 is notable for its intensive borrowing from other psalms — scholars count over a dozen verbal parallels to earlier texts, making it a kind of "mosaic prayer." This technique suggests that the tradition of praying prior scriptures was already alive in ancient Israel. The request "make my heart undivided" (v. 11) uses a Hebrew word that means "united" or "one" — the heart pulled in multiple directions of allegiance is a divided heart; the goal of prayer is wholeness of devotion. Verse 15's description of God — "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth" — is a direct quotation of Exodus 34:6-7, the foundational self-declaration of God's character.

Cross-references

  • Exodus 34:6-7 — God's self-declaration of his character — v. 15 quotes it directly
  • John 10:30 — "I and the Father are one" — v. 10's "God alone" in its fullest expression
  • Matthew 22:37 — "love the Lord your God with all your heart" — v. 11's undivided heart
  • Philippians 4:7 — "the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds" — v. 11's goal
  • Psalm 57:9-10 — "I will give thanks among the peoples" — v. 12's praise parallel

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What reasons does David give for God to answer (vv. 1-2, 5, 7)?

  2. Observe

    What does verse 11 ask, and why?

  3. Interpret

    What is a divided heart, and what divides/unifies it?

  4. Interpret

    What is the connection between universal worship and God's uniqueness (v. 10)?

  5. Apply

    Where are the affections most divided?

  6. Apply

    How does Scripture shape one's prayer life?

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