You may try to find salvation through pagan means, but only Our Powerful Lord, Jesus Christ can save us. In this psalm, David cries to God for mercy, happiness, guidance, favor, and purity. You can pray this prayer, too. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
answer me, for I need your help.
2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
You are my God.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for I am calling on you constantly.
4 Give me happiness, O Lord,
for I give myself to you.
5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
6 Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
hear my urgent cry.
7 I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
and you will answer me.8 No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
None can do what you do!
9 All the nations you made
will come and bow before you, Lord;
they will praise your holy name.
10 For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
You alone are God.11 Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.
12 With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
I will give glory to your name forever,
13 for your love for me is very great.
You have rescued me from the depths of death.[a]14 O God, insolent people rise up against me;
Psalm 86 NLT
a violent gang is trying to kill me.
You mean nothing to them.
15 But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
16 Look down and have mercy on me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save me, the son of your servant.
17 Send me a sign of your favor.
Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.
A Uniquely Powerful Lord
There is no one else to whom we can pray to who can…
- Hear and answer our prayers
- Protect us
- Be merciful
- Give us happiness
- Forgive us
- Love us greatly
- Rescue us from the depths of death
- Give us strength
- Show us favor
- Give us a pure heart
No Pagan god is Like Our Powerful Lord Jesus
Pastor Sandy Adams explains…
Compare the true God with the false gods of other religions… Who among the gods dares to forgive as God does…
- Islam crushes its opponents. Allah doesn’t look to show mercy…
- Buddhism locks a sinner in the prison of countless reincarnations where they have to return as slugs and snails as punishment for past mistakes. The best the Buddha offers us is eternal nothingness… What an offer!
- The Hindu pantheon is full of vicious gods who feed on man’s blood.
Only Jesus bleeds for His people. He alone delights to forgive.
Pastor Sandy Adams
Additionally, Roman Catholicism enslaves parishoners in useless rites, rules, and rituals, which get you nowhere but a ticket straight to hell. It’s just another pagan religion. I know, I was raised Catholic.
What Are We Supposed to Do?
- Be devoted to Jesus Christ alone!
- Give ourselves to Him
- Pray daily
- Call to Him when you are in trouble
- Praise His Holy Name with all your heart
- Bow down before Jesus ONLY!
- Ask Him to teach You HIS Ways
- Live according to His Truth
- Give Glory to His Name forever
Seeing Our Lord Jesus In This Psalm
Watch this video from Spoken Gospel…
Where is the Gospel?
Ultimately, the sign David asked for was given in Jesus. Like David, Jesus was often in danger and attacked by bloodthirsty men. And like David, Jesus was faithful even when God did not rescue him. And like David, Jesus trusted that if he died, God would raise him from the dead (Philippians 2:7-8)—which God did. Jesus’ death and resurrection is David’s sign and symbol. What happened to Jesus the Master will happen to us his servants (John 15:20). We will suffer at the hands of the violent, but we will also rise in triumph over our enemies and even death itself (Romans 6:5).
There is no other deity like Jesus. Not only is Jesus the uniquely powerful God who rescued his people by parting oceans, he is also a uniquely humble Master who has become a servant to his servants (Mark 10:45). No other master but Jesus serves those underneath him, and no other Lord dies for his subjects (Matthew 20:28). Jesus is a unique God and Master who sacrificially enters the suffering of his people to raise them out of it. So with David we can confidently ask God our Master to be true to himself and serve us in our distress.
Spoken Gospel
All Nations Will Worship Him!
In the end, ALL NATIONS will bow down and worship King Jesus!
God said…
23 By myself I have sworn,
Isaiah 45:23 NLT
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
John wrote…
4 “Who will not fear you, Lord,
Revelation 15:4 NLT
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”
Who do you bow down to?
Hopefully, your answer is Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior! You cannot bow to or in a church. You cannot bow to a priest, pope, or an inanimate statute! None of that can save you!
Jesus said…
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 NLT
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
