Catholic Commentary on Psalm 86

"You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you." (Psalm 86:5)

A Prayer of the Tried and Trusting

Psalm 86 is the only psalm in Book Three attributed to David, and it is constructed almost entirely from quotations and allusions to other psalms and passages of Scripture. The psalmist is not composing from fresh inspiration so much as weaving together the inherited prayer language of Israel into a personal petition. This is itself instructive: in times of distress, the best prayer may be the one we borrow from those who have prayed before us. The Church has always understood the liturgical and scriptural tradition as a treasury of prayer that comes to our aid when our own words fail.

The theological heart of the psalm is a fourfold description of God that the psalmist explicitly draws on as the basis of his petition: You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you. He is citing the divine self-description given to Moses at Sinai in Exodus 34:6-7. The character of God revealed in the covenant is the foundation of the prayer. We do not appeal to God to be better than he is. We appeal to him to be exactly who he has revealed himself to be.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the practice of Psalm 86, weaving the inherited words of faith into personal prayer, is an ancient and fruitful one. The Rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Mass itself, are all forms of praying with borrowed words. Do not be ashamed to pray the psalms as your own prayer, to mean them with your whole heart. They were given to us precisely for this.

Prayer

Lord, you are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call on you. We call on you now from the midst of our troubles. Hear our prayer, have mercy, give us your strength, teach us your way, and let us praise you with all our heart. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

86
Tried but Trusting
A prayer of David.
 
1 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am godly.
You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for I call to You all day long.
4 Bring joy to Your servant,
for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
 
5 For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving,
rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
and attend to my plea for mercy.
7 In the day of my distress I call on You,
because You answer me.
 
8 O Lord, there is none like You among the gods,
nor any works like Yours.
9 All the nations You have made
will come and bow before You, O Lord,
and they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are great and perform wonders;
You alone are God.
 
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in Your truth.
Give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For great is Your loving devotion to me;
You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.
 
14 The arrogant rise against me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life,
with no regard for You.
15 But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
 
16 Turn to me and have mercy;
grant Your strength to Your servant;
save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of Your goodness,
that my enemies may see and be ashamed;
for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

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