Psalm 86:1-17 ESV – 1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you–you are my God. 3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. 7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. 8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. 9 All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. 10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. 12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. 15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. 17 Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
God, my Father,
You hear me when I cry to you. You listen to my pleas . . .You are gracious, and merciful. You are abounding in steadfast love. You are my Father, You love me.
Oh, God, You are so faithful to listen to me, and I confess that it is so easy for me not to listen to you. What deathly pride and self-sufficiency. I need you, Lord. Oh, how I need your mercy and grace. Oh, how I need your wisdom. I need to have the strength to do what is right and just, to obey your Word, whether it is hard or not; whether it is popular or not. You are my comfort and my help. You are the stronghold of my life. You are my God. I am your servant, your beloved child.
Amen
Please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in the United Arab Emirates. Though expatriates enjoy relative tolerance in the country, converts to Christianity from Islam face the majority of persecution in the country, and they experience a great deal of pressure to recant their faith, both from their immediate families and society as a whole.
Plea for Grace 