Psalm 86 is a song of personal petition to God for help in a time of trouble. Verse 14 identifies the trouble: “the proud have risen against me, and a mob of violent men have sought my life, and have not set you before them.” David had experienced much persecution especially at the hands of Saul and Absalom, so it is impossible to identify more precisely the circumstances of the psalm.
One of the striking characteristics of the psalm is the number of “for” clauses. There are nine of them, and they pertain especially to David’s hope for an answer to his petitions. They fall into two groups. The first four are reasons rooted in David’s circumstances and character, the other five in the Lord’s character.
The first four reasons are: 1) answer me for I am poor and needy, 2) preserve me for I am holy, 3) be merciful for I cry to you, and 4)rejoice my soul for to you I lift my soul. The last two are essentially the same.
The first reason has to do with David’s circumstances. He is poor (or afflicted) and needy, desperately in need of help. His enemies are too strong for him and his soul is in danger of destruction. He is asking for compassion.
The second reason has to do with his character. God should help him because he is holy. This is a startling claim, but David does not mean that he is without sin. He means that the cause he serves is the cause of God, and the cause of his enemies is the cause of those who hate God. His cause is the holy cause. Furthermore, David can claim holiness only because God has called and sanctified him in the blood of the atoning sacrifice. In fact, the sacrifice (our Lord Jesus Christ) is the one in and for whom David suffered.
The third reason is that David calls to the Lord. He does not seek help in himself or any other. He has only one helper and comforter (v. 17) just as Yahweh had commanded. If the Lord will not help him, he will be lost forever.
The second group of reasons has to do with God’s character, and in this David finds certainty and assurance. The Lord is good, forgiving, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call to him (v. 5). The Lord will answer him (v. 7). The Lord’s lovingkindness to him is great and will deliver him (v. 13). The Lord is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and faithfulness (v. 15).
In fact, verse 13 speaks of something already accomplished: “You have delivered my soul from lowest Sheol.” So does verse 17: “You, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.”
These two groups of reasons teach us powerful lessons in prayer. First, we rely on the compassion, grace and faithfulness of God for all the benefits we seek from him. Second, we can only come to him in Christ, who sanctifies us and calls us into union with himself so that we and our cause identify with him and his cause. If we are not righteous and holy in Christ, we cannot ascend to Zion (Pss. 15 and 24) and will not be heard. The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to a holy God (Prov. 15:8, 29 and 28:9).